Non Reversable Effects
by ThomE.Gemcity-06
Summary: Sequel to NON NEGOTIABLE ROYAL. 3 years later; SG1 has disbanned, all ready to leave Nick at the SGC. When a Col. gets the band back together; its up to Nick to find them when they go MIA. Chaos in the making! Part 4.
1. Prologue

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**PROLOGUE**

Change.

It around us, everywhere; it happens every second of every day, whether or not we notice or realize it. In the military, in the SGC, promotions, food in the mess, people coming and people going, others staying. Aging and growing older as well as wiser. Clothing styles, families, technology, the Government.

You can't stop it, it just happens. You can try to ignore it, but that won't last for long. Because it doesn't matter if you want the change or not, it's going to happen even without your consent. Some changes are for the better, others are not. Some are good for everyone else, and others aren't. Some changes are really good for you, while others were just plan shit.

I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just pointing out a simple fact. It may suck and it may piss you off, but things happen. Things happen that aren't in your control, things that you just have to deal with. You can make a bad thing, turn useful. And change it to fit you.

**Nickolas P. Summers.**

**C#- 00357-9648-0901**

**RANK- Lieutenant**


	2. Chapter 1

**NON REVESABLE EFFECTS**

**CH 1**

I stared at the book loaded shelves in front of me, having no clue where to start.

"How do you want me to pack these?" I asked.

"Mm," Daniel thought as he placed a wrapped Aztec statue in the box at his feet. "Box them in sets, if you would."

I nodded my head in agreement with that plain of action and commenced boxing. It didn't seem like that much of a workout, but after a few boxes I worked up a sweat. Pausing, I wiped my forehead with the sleeve of my jump suit before I unzipped the top half and tied the sleeves around my waist - glad I wore a tee underneath. I continued to pack away Daniel's books as he continued to pack his artifacts. I was fine working in compatible silence, but not knowing was killing me.

"So why are you going to Atlantis again?" I asked Daniel innocently.

Daniel paused in his work and turned to me. "Are you joking?" he gave a exasperated sigh.

I just shrugged my shoulders.

He shook his head at me. "It's the lost city of the Ancients for Gods sake! Do you know how long I've been waiting to go to this place? Four years; waiting a year even before you got here. But every time I get close, crisis happens and by the time its averted, my ride has already left. And Jack . . ." Daniel trailed off with

I gave him a cheeky grin. "General O'Neill has his hooks in you and doesn't want to go."

Daniel made a face at me, acting more childish then he should, but laughed and he grinned back.

"Jack is like a father that is no way in hell letting his daughter date the school jock-" Daniel cut off, just now realizing what he had been saying.

His face flushed and he slapped a hand over his face. The grin nearly split my cheeks as I burst into uncontrollable laughter. I held my gut, afraid it would split and my lungs were deprived of much need oxygen.

"You're the girl and Atlantis is the jock!" I gasped out, the last word coming out as a wheeze.

"Control yourself," Daniel scolded as I fell into the nearest chair, gasping for breath.

I just grinned at him for a second before my face turned serious. I looked up at him. "Are you gonna call?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

"If there's a phone out there that has a cell signal that can reach across two Galaxies, I'll find it." Daniel promised.

"That's all I wanted to hear." I told him, getting up from my seat and going back to packing the many books from Daniel's shelf. While I was at it, I whistled tunelessly.

It had been three years since I joined the SGC and allot has happened over the past few years. The Goa'uld had been all but defeated and the Jaffa were now free - Teal'c had been spending most of his time off world, helping rebuild Dekara. I was put at the head of the Search and Rescue Team, SG3 and had been promoted to Lieutenant - I may be a feline, but I could sniff out scents like a dog. Jack was now Brig. General Jack O'Neill and was now running the SGC; General Hammond was now stationed in Washington with the President. Major Carter was now known as Lieutenant Colonel Sam Carter and was stationed at Area 51. And Now Daniel was going to be joining the Atlantis expedition in the Pegasus Galaxy.

It was sad, really. I had finally found some people with whom I could call family, and they were all leaving. When Jack had been promoted, SG1 still went on mission; the Goa'uld not yet defeated. But now that they were, everyone was going their separate ways. Jack was to busy running the SGC; Teal'c was never on base anymore; Carter wasn't even assigned to the SGC anymore; and Daniel was leaving the Galaxy.

"You know," I drawled out nonchalant. "Now that you guys disbanded, I'm going to be out of the job."

I knew that it was a low hit, but maybe it would guilt Daniel to staying at the SGC.

"How are you going to be out the job?" Daniel demanded.

"Well, now that there's no more infamous flag team that also gets captured and kidnapped, who am I supposed to sniff out on a daily business? I'll have nothing to do and may result to eating people out of pure boredom. Or," I turned to him, my miss colored eyes wide and frightened. "I might as well be a caged zoo animal." I gave him the eyes for added effect.

Quickly, Daniel stepped to me and slapped a hand over my eyes and cuffed me on the head. I smiled at him; it was worth a try, even if I knew that it wouldn't have a chance of working. Daniel was quite possibly literally going to get physical if he didn't get to go to Atlantis and get his Archeology on. I snorted at that and caught a whiff of something. I tensed, taking a hold of Daniel's wrist and pulling it down from my face as I took another sniff. Daniel looked at me with concern as eyes Tigered-out.

My eyes darted as scented the unfamiliar scent from Daniel's green. It was hardly there at first, creeping in through the doorway, but as the stranger drew closer, so did their scent. I knew exactly what every personnel in this base smelled like, and this scent was unknown to me. At the moment they didn't think of me as a threat so I didn't go all Tiger, but you never could know so I placed myself slightly in front of Daniel.

Bonus points to Daniel because, as he usually tended to do, didn't scoff and push my out of the way; complaining that he was a grown man and could take care of himself - says all the times he died.

"Incoming; officer unknown." I reported. "Male, he's determined yet nervous. Uses ax-body-and-shampoo, last known meal steak and potatoes'." I looked at Daniel.

He gave me an approving nod. "You've been practicing,"

"It is my job, after all." I flashed him a smile before I turned to the door, knocking papers to the floor. A looked down at them before I looked to Daniel with innocent smile. Daniel crossed his arms over his chest and gave me a pointed look. I gave him an exasperated sigh. "Ever heard of paperclips?"

I gave a disgruntled growl and I knelt on the floor. I gathered all of the papers and handed them to Daniel, but before I could get up, Daniel stopped me.

"Missed one," he pointed.

I stifled the growl this time and crawled under the desk, trying to find the missing paper. I could feel a slight draft against my lower back as my tee rode up.

"Dr. Jackson?" came a voice from the door, and along with it came the scent.

"Yes," Daniel answered. "What can I do for you . . .?" I could picture him raising a single brow.

"The names Cam Mitchell, Lieutenant Colonel." the man answered, taking a step into Daniel's office. "And I'm here to convince you to rejoin SG1."


	3. Chapter 2

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**CH 2**

I jerked up in surprise at that and as a result, I smashed my head against the metal bottom of Daniel's desk. "_OW_!"

I backed out from under the desk, my but hitting Daniel's legs, the piece of paper forgotten. Daniel moved out of the way and I popped up, rubbing the sour spot on my head. I looked at Daniel, a sour expression on my face. Daniel whacked my hand away from my head and tugged it back so he could look at the damage done. I shook him off and looked at Colonel Mitchell, who in turn was giving me an odd look. Probably putting me in the weirdo file, I hate first impressions.

I gave him a formal nod. "Lieutenant Summers, sir." I greeted.

I gave a nod to me in turn before he turned back to Daniel. "So?" he asked.

Daniel gave him a polite smile. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to decline. I'm going to Atlantis and no one is going to stop this time." he looked at me. "Just going to stand there?" Daniel asked me pointedly.

I scowled at him, but went back to packing his books, secretly smiling on the inside. Maybe this guy could get Daniel to skip out on Atlantis, though I didn't get my hopes up too high. I kept both ears trained on the situation as I boxed up the books, set by set.

"What do you mean? How can you give up an opportunity like this?" Mitchell asked.

"I've already had that opportunity for nine years and now I'm moving onto another one." Daniel countered, placing another wrapped artifact into a box.

"General O'Neill said that I could have any team that I wanted, and I wanted SG1." Mitchell said. "You are the best and I wanted to work with the best, be the best."

I let out a quiet snicker at that, which turned out not to be so quiet as when I glanced over my shoulder to see both Daniel and Mitchell giving me the same look. That was actually when I realized that they could actually be mistaken for brothers.

"Sorry sir." I said. "But you do know why General O'Neill said that you could have your pick, don't you?" I took his silence as his answer, so I continued on to explain. "Every new officer who walks in here, has heard of the infamous flagship team and of course every one of them want's to be teamed up with them. SG1 is the General's team and he would never let anyone, ever, command it but him. He knows the value the team has; plus the fact that SG1 is disbanded - Teal'c back _on Dakara_, Colonel Carter at Area 51, Daniel going to Atlantis and finally, the kicker - General O'Neill is leaving for Washington the same time that Daniel's leaving."

They stared at me, and I looked back with slightly widened eyes. Yeah, I was just an ass hole to a superior officer; even though I wasn't sure if he yet an official member of the SGC, I was pretty sure he could still do some damage. I may have been here for three years now, and I may be part of the search and rescue SG team, and I may be friend's with Daniel, Jack and Teal'c, but that didn't mean I would get special treatment - Okay, I would probably get a smidgen of special treatment.

I opened my mouth about to apologize when an SF stuck his head in. "Dr. Jackson?"

Daniel turned away from. "Sergeant, how can I help you?"

From behind his back he produced a metal case. "This was just brought with SG7 from PX4-406; I know that have already been relieved of duty, and given all of your assignment away. But General O'Neill order me to give then to you, sir."

Daniel sighed but took the case from the SF and placed it by the desk on the floor. "Thank you, Sergeant."

The SF gave him a curt not. "You're welcome, sir." he spun on his heal and was soon out of sight.

Daniel glanced my way and all but gave me the stink eye, I held up my hands in surrender and slunk away back to the shelves - mostly. Daniel and Mitchell continued to discuss that fact that Daniel was going to Atlantis, but Mitchell was one tough sonuva bitch and wouldn't back down. So they ignored my presence - which was fine with me - because I was able to grab the case without either of them noticing.

I know it was devilish and I know that it was going to piss Daniel off, but I was curious. A curious cat and if this episode of curiosity happened to kill me, I'd have a few lives to spare. I sat on the floor, my back against the desk so that I was hidden from Daniel and Mitchell, with the case laid down flat in front of me. With as much care as I could muster and slowly click open the latches. I held my breath as I waited a beat to see if either man noticed, but when Daniel didn't cuff me, I figured I was safe.

I held open the case's lid and peered inside. "Huh,"


	4. Chapter 3

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**CH 3**

To tell the truth, I was expecting something else entirely. A tablet probably, but this? How was Daniel supposed translate anything on these when I couldn't even see any obvious writings? There were two of them, whatever they were. They looked like short rulers that were the color of bone; they actually looked like bone too; like flat individual sections of the spine connected together. On either side of the sections was a flat protrusion, like little spikes or something.

I tried to resist the urge to touch it, to pick it up. It was bad enough that I took and opened it without Daniel noticing, and the thing that peeved him the most was when someone touched some sort of artifact that was in his office. These were in his office, and I knew that I would get some if he caught me. But I picked one of them up any way and as if for punishment, one of the spike things sticking off the side, jabbed my finger. I gritted my teeth, resisting the urge to yell out the appropriate "_OW_!". It drew blood, a single drop welling from the prick in my finger. Without thinking I stuck my finger in my mouth and sucked on it. When the bleeding stopped and the sting went away I took it from my mouth, the cut already healed.

I picked it up again, carefully this time and looked at it closely.

At first glance it was as I had said; the top of the band was plain and smooth with no writing whatsoever. But when I turned it over to the other side, I noticed some inconsistencies with the flat and smooth surface. I peered closer at it, finding that with my sharp vision I could see a a faint imprint of some kind. I angled it just so, and when the lights from above hit it just so and a shadow was cast.

I held back the growl that wanted to escape, but just barely. I recognized this writing and Sebastian could translate; _Quatonian_. I hated them - no, I corrected myself, I hated Joshua. I couldn't condemn a whole race of people because they just happened to be associated with that *C-word! I forced myself to calm down, to dime my anger down as I felt the stretch and pull of the transformation taking over my body.

I forced myself to relax, to think calming thought - Merry-go-rounds and what not; ever since I was a kid I had found those relaxing. I knew that I had anger problem, for which I was 62% good at controlling. The other some 28% was just under the surface, waiting to come out and cause some trouble. And the last 10% got out and caused destruction and got me in shit.

This time I was able to control it - there was no clue as to what could of happened if I did transform. I knew that I would never have attacked Daniel, but it was Colonel Mitchell that I was worried about. With an unfamiliar person and scent around me when I'm in 'fit' we'll call - something of which I was not proud of in the least - couldn't be pretty.

With the band still in my hand, I twisted around and peered over the desk at Daniel and Mitchell who were still in conversation. My eyes slipped and changed into predator mode as I watched them; feeling a little playful. Daniel was leaving soon anyway and it hurt to think that I would be alone in this place again. I knew that I still had Ryan Stevens, but we had drifted apart over the years. It was stupid of my to think that this random Colonel could change Daniel's mind about going to Atlantis - it was an impossible task.

"_Pssst_," it came out like a hiss and purr crossover; my sharp toothed grin hidden as both men jumped.

"Nick, what the Hell?" Daniel exclaimed, blushing slightly as he glanced over at Mitchell.

Wow, they really did look similar. "I think I know what these are." I told him.

"What . . .?" Daniel trailed off as he looked down at his feet and noticed that the silver case was no longer near his feet. "_Nick_," he ended my name with a stone-hard K.

I winced, not feeling that playful any more. I chance a glance at Colonel Mitchell, who had the decency to give me a sympathetic look. "Daniel-" I tried, but he wouldn't have it.

"No, Nick." he growled, coming over to me. "How many times have I asked you to not touch anything? You're worse then Jack and I know that you know better than him. You're supposed to be helping me pack, not getting into things that you're not supposed to."

"No Daniel," He reached down, intending to grab one of the bands form my hands. I tried to jerk it back out of his reach, but he was quick, tearing the band the band from my hand. "Don't . . ." but I knew that it was too late when I saw the slight eye twitch, and I knew that one of the spikes from the side spin had pricked the skin.

I looked at him, my expression pinched. If these were what I thought were, then Daniel was going to uber-pissed. Not the normal anger, but pull on fury, like the Goa'uld had nothing on him - the Devil would have nothing on him. My suspicions were correct when I felt a sudden energy in the air, on that caused the hair on the back of my neck to rise, one that made my hackles want to rise. The bands started to vibrate.

Daniel looked down at his as the vibrations started to grow stronger, so strong that they started to buzz. "What the ...?" he opened his hand, releasing the band, but it didn't fall to the floor and instead stayed in the air, continuing to vibrate. He took a step away, but the band turned, pointing straight at him. As he went to take another step back, the band flew towards him, wrapping itself around his wrist.

He tried to pull kit off, but to no avail. I looked down, but the band was no longer in grasp and instead wrapped found it wrapped around my wrist. I looked up to find the Daniel that I had predicted, but I knew that this would not compare to the Daniel I would be seeing when he knew the whole truth - that is . . . If I lived long enough to see it.

"I did tell you . . ."


	5. Chapter 4

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**CH 4**

"This is not my fault." I said once again, so much so that I lost count, and without much conviction.

Daniel didn't saw anything, the silence that filled Dr. Lee's lab taken over by the sound of a buzz-saw. I knew that it was my fault that this had happened; I shouldn't have touched the case and I shouldn't have picked up the bands. And even if I did do those, I should have put them back into the case because I should have known that Daniel was going to be pissed. I should have been packing the books on his shelf instead of touching things that I shouldn't and things that were unknown. But, I did have a gleam of knowledge of what they were and I had warned him.

"That isn't going to work," I finally told them, frustrated.

Lee shut off the saw. "Well, we could go without the limb."

I looked at him in shock. "You are not taking any limbs!" I exclaimed. "Look, all we have to do is determine the energy signature, insolate it, and then override it."

"Fine," Daniel said. Lieutenant Summers will stay her will you determine that Dr. Lee. I'll be in my office." he pulled his sleeve back down and strode from the room.

"Daniel," I yelled rushing after him. "You can't leave!"

He didn't listen or even glance back at me, and instead walked faster. Before I could catch up to him, he had already swiped his card and stepped into the elevator. I really ran fast now, afraid of what might happen if he got too far. "Daniel; the bands!" I screamed at him through the crack as the door slid close.

I don't know what floor he had pressed, but it was far enough away for the band to take effect. First, I my body started to tingle, like when your foot falls asleep. It emitted from the band around my wrist, spreading up my arm and then throughout my body. My legs slowly started to give out, my arms feeling like led and I sunk to the floor. I didn't have my radio and before I could try to call someone for help, my tongue went numb. And the next thing I knew, I was gone.

I opened my eyes slowly, averting my eyes as they came in contact with the bright light over head. I sighed, knowing where I was and seeing the navy-blue scent swirling in the air to my left.

"Colonel Mitchell," I greeted.

"How'd you know it was me?" he asked in surprise.

I rolled my head to the left to look at him. He was still in his green BDU's, sitting on the empty gurney next to mine, one leg crossed over the other, an open folder in his lap.

"I scented you," I said in monotone.

He gave me a whatever-you-say look.

"What happened?" I finally asked after a tick of awkward silence.

"Found you passed out in the hall; brought you here." he filled me in with O-so much information.

I glanced down at my wrist and found it empty. "How long was I out," I asked, slightly surprised; I didn't think that Dr. Lee would have gotten it done that quickly.

"More then a few hours,"

"What?" I exclaimed. Sitting up, I turned to him, panic causing anxiety to rise. "Daniel?"

"Oh, Jackson? He left," Mitchell turned a page in the folder on his lap.

"W-what?" my voice came out small. Could he really have been that angry at me as to not even say goodbye when he was going to a whole other Galaxy? I slid off the gurney; my booted feet hit the concrete floor with a clunk. It was hard to comprehend this, we had been like best friends, like family for the past three years - and he wouldn't even say goodbye?

"Lieutenant?" Mitchell asked in concern, setting the folder aside and standing up. "Are you alright?"

I didn't say anything, the answer obvious. I stared down at the floor, my vision blurred. As I walked like a zombie back to my quarters, not even trying to listen to what else Mitchell had to say. My heart, there was something in my heart. It was something that i hadn't felt for three years now, something that had been filled to the brim. But now it was draining, so slowly that I hadn't even noticed it. Because Daniel had still been here, because Jack was coming back in a little while.

When I got to my quarters, I didn't even turn the lights or changed my clothes. I just crawled under my bed in the corner and lay in the dark. My thoughts and my heart too muddled.

Everyone was leaving me; slowly but surely and today was the day that they were all gone. All my life, from the day I was born to the day that I had turned twenty-four, I had been alone. I had no family, no one wanted me. I was a loner, but I dealt with it, excepted it and survived it. I was freak, a weird-o. I had anger problems and emotional problems. That was the reason why I joined the Air Force, a reason and an excuse to be alone and to have no family - who would give a shit if I had died?

But when I came here, to the SGC, that had changed. I had made friends, good friends; friends that were like an adopted family to me. Friends who were like a father, brothers and a sister. My heart had never known this feeling before, but once it got a taste, it wanted it forever. My heart got used to it; a home, a family. So it didn't want to realize the fact that it was being taken away - _I _didn't want to realize that it was happening. But the shock, the shock of Daniel not even staying to say goodbye . . .

My body shook with suppressed sobs.

I knew that it was my fault, that I did this to myself, and that I deserved what was coming to me. But the shock of it actually happening hurt. I messed it all up, wrecked everything. I was a freak, a home wrecker. I wasn't even Human, I was a person who changed into a freaking animal for God's sake! I was bound to be alone, it was obvious the way I always screwed things up.

Tears leaked from eyes as I realized another thing; if Daniel had already left for Atlantis, than that meant that Jack had already left for Washington too.


	6. Chapter 5

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**CH5**

I was dead inside; it was as simple as that. I thought that I would have been at least a little angry that I was all alone again, but I wasn't. I didn't have enough energy to do so, and I knew that it was my own doing that got me into this situation. It was punishment for being selfish, for not letting myself come to terms with it when I had the chance — to lesson the blow if you will.

I wasn't sure how long I had been there, laying under my bed in the darkness, but it was enough so that I felt the slight pang of hunger; the need for raw meat. At first I could only eat raw beef — other raw things making my Human self gag and sick — but after three years I got used to the idea of eating raw chicken, steak, pig and more, as well as my body adapted to the effects. Though that wasn't my whole diet, I ate Human food too — but certain things made my throw-up. Too much sugar — which I loved so that was a low blow — I couldn't drink coffee either, but I only ever drank that because it was convenient, so that loss didn't bother my much.

I knew that if I let my hunger wander to long, that instinct would take over and I would Change, going after any food source that was available — Humans. But that would only happen if I was literally starving, and even then I would fight it. I was not turning into a Cannibal — _ever._

I was tired too, but I didn't want to close my eyes incase my fears took over my dreams. I knew that it was stupid, that I was probably over reacting over nothing, but I couldn't help it. I didn't want to live in the Valley of Loneliness again, not after I had been free of it for three years. Before I never would have let being alone bother me, I liked being alone and to myself — it was all that I had known. But now that me and my heart have got a taste of something different — a feel as what it was like to not be alone for once, to be able to rely on others as well as others relying on you — it was hapless, I wouldn't be able to take it.

And for better or for worse, being here at the SGC and having known SG-1 had changed me. No longer would I hide in the corner waiting to be taken apart, no longer would I stand for those who would try and beat me. I was now confident in myself and my abilities, confident in who and what I am — or at least I used to be. Because now, now if felt like I was reverting back to my-old-self. I mean, look at me: hiding in the dark under my bed, crying, feeling sorry for myself, becoming a puddle of depression.

"_Nick_?"

I yelped in surprise, my head jerking up and connecting with the metal bed frame a few inches above my head. I let out a long *hiss of pain as I let my head fall back to the carpeted floor, rubbing the freshly tender spot on the crown of my head.

"Nick, where the Hell are you?" came the voice again, louder this time and sounding very much like Daniel.

_Daniel_! My head came up again in all of my excitement, hitting the metal frame again. But I hardly noticed the pain as I tried as quickly as possible to scramble out from under the bed. I vaguely felt the sharp corner of the frame scrape against the back of my neck, but that too I barely noticed. I popped up from the floor, and in the same motion, crashed into Daniel, wrapping my arms around him.

I was never one to give hugs freely, and sometimes not even willingly. I had never really experienced hugs through out my childhood, so it was awkward for me to receive them as well as give them. But this was Daniel, the one person that I did hug and the one person that received them with a friendly smile and hugged back. I never hugged Jack because that would be weird — seeing as I still had that hero-man-crush on him — and on the pure fact that he was a the General in charge of running the SGC now that Hammond had been assigned to Washington. Teal'c, maybe occasionally, but mostly we did the Warrior clasp. Colonel Carter on the other hand; well I was still aware of the one time three years ago when she had come to my quarters to escort me to the General Hammond's Office, that she had checked my out when I had just the towel around my waist and my skin damp, of that I was 85% sure — so on the rarest of occasions we might share a very brief embrace.

Daniel hugged me back, though not as fierce. I pulled back, albeit reluctantly.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, finally realizing what him being here actually meant. "Colonel Mitchell said that you had left."

"I did," Daniel admitted. "With Jack to the check-out point."

I looked at him confused.

"I missed the _Daedalus_." he elaborated.

Guilt washed my expression of confusion away. "This is my fault." I said, even though I knew he knew it — probably as well as everyone on base.

"No, it's not." Daniel said.

I should have known that he would, that was just the way the he was. "Don't say that."

"I'm serious." Daniel said and so did the expression on his face.

But I shook my head. I knew that he was doing this for my benefit; though I don't know why, I was the reason why he wasn't on the _Daedalus_, on his way to Atlantis. "Stop saying that when it not the truth." I went to turn away, but his hand on my shoulder stopped me.

"Listen to me," Daniel said, his voice commanding. At the tone I straightened slightly. "When you touched those bands I got more upset then I should have, so much so that when you tried to warn me I didn't listen. I got even more upset when it wouldn't come off and a little scared that I would miss my chance to go to Atlantis again. I walked away when you tried to tell me something important about the bands, and as a result you suffered. When Dr. Lee got the bands off, I still had time to catch the _Daedalus_, but didn't."

"What? Why?" I demanded.

"I was being selfish." Daniel admitted, an ashamed blush coloring his cheeks.

"What?" I looked at him in astonishment. "You weren't being selfish, Daniel. You've been waiting to go to Atlantis for four years now."

But Daniel shook his head. "I was only thinking about myself," he said, a sad expression crossing his features. "I knew that it upset you, that I would be gone and that we would hardly be able to see or talk to each other. I knew that I was all but leaving you alone, little as I wanted to admit it to myself. With Teal'c and Sam gone and then me, you would only have Jack, and more than half the time he would be too busy running the SGC. I know what it's like to not have anyone and I know what it's like to loose everyone you love in one single go — I couldn't do that to you, Nick. I just couldn't."

"You don't have to worry about me." I lied.

"Atlantis can wait." Daniel promised. "And anyway, you should be happy; you are going to be back on the job after all."

"What do you mean?" I furrowed my brows at him.

Daniel shook his head in mock disappointment. "Since I'm staying, I decided that I might as well rejoin SG-1."

An overjoyed smile broke across my face.

"And," he said. "As it turns out, Mitchell knows Sam. She said she'd think about it — but you know Sam; it's just for show."

The smile grew, Daniel was staying and Sam was coming back.

"And," Daniel continued. "As soon as he can, Mitchell's going to go to Dakara and try to convince Teal'c to rejoin as well."

The smile felt like it was going to break my face in half! I had to hand it to Mitchell, luck was definitely on his side for this, and if he got Teal'c to rejoin he'd be the luckiest man alive — and just to make sure, I was going to go with him.


	7. Chapter 6

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**CH6**

Mitchell had given me a long, hard look when I had asked him if I could go with him on his little off-world mission. The look on his face was calculation, weighing the pros and cons of me going. I knew that he would after what he had seen the scene me and Daniel had had. But as it turn's out, the pros must have weighed more than the cons, if only by a little. And I was just a buzz — at least on the inside; on the out I was as calm and collected as ever, because there was no way that I would risk Mitchell changing his mind. I wanted to be there when Mitchell convinced Teal'c to rejoin SG-1 and in the process I would get to visit with Teal'c — I hadn't seen the Big Guy for awhile after all.

Dakara was busy, as should have been expected what with the Jaffa trying to reinvent themselves in their new found freedom. I stuck close to Mitchell in all of the chaos, afraid that if I lost sight of him it would be hard to catch his scent again as the Temple was filled with many unfamiliar scents, so it got confusing at times.

We had to wait because Teal'c was in a council meeting, so Mitchell parked himself at the base of a statue that was in the Temple and pulled a tennis ball from his vest pocket; tossing it into the air and catching it when it came back down. I may not have been a dog, but Tigers did like to play just as any feline did, so I found that it was hard to tear my eyes away. Mitchell glanced at me out of the corner of his eye as he started to toss the ball between his hands. I fought the slight urge to pounce.

"Can I ask you something?" he finally said, his brow raised.

I tore my eyes away from the ball in his hands to look at him in the face. "Of course, sir." my eyes flicked towards the ball again, but I forced myself to focus on his face.

"You're not Human, are you Lieutenant." it wasn't a question.

"No, sir." I confirmed just incase.

He gave a satisfied nod. "Your eyes change."

I nodded, forcing my eyes to change; my pupils turning to diamonds. Overlapping colors filled ever inch of the open air around us, and I was correct in assuming that if I had lost sight of Colonel Mitchell it would be very hard to scent him again. The only air that was pure Mitchell was that of a few inches that surrounded his body; the space filled with his dark navy scent.

He stared at me hard for a moment before he looked down at the ball in his hands. "When you fallow people, it's like your stalking them."

"What?" I raised my brows in surprise. "I don't stalk people." my tone was incredulous, if only a smidgen nervous.

"You do." his tone and drawl were conversational, but I could see how serious he was. "You get this intent look in your eyes, like you're tracking or something — stalking. You had it when you were watching Jackson after those bracelet things, like you were watching, waiting."

"Of course," I scoffed. "I wanted to be ready when he tore my head off."

Mitchell shook his head and didn't say more on that subject. "So what are you?"

"I am what is called a Quatonian, but I'm not one of them." I put that in there because I wasn't. Quatonian was my race, but it wasn't who I was. My home was Earth, I was a Tau'ri — I was no way associated with _Them_.

"Okay." he nodded, but gave me a sort of pinched look too. "And what type of race are the Quatonians?"

I mulled it over. "They are a animal-shifting race,"

"And what animal are you, if I may ask." his blue eys sparked with interest.

"King of the Jungle."

"George of the Jungle?" Mitchell's face scrunched up in confusion.

It took everything I had not to snort loudly and rudely. I opened my mouth, ready to correct him when I glanced past him instead. "Teal'c!"

Mitchell turned too, standing up and stowing the ball back into his vest. Even through all of the bodies that filled the Temple, Teal'c spotted us. Clad in the folds of a robe, he slowly advanced towards us. I forced myself to stay where I was, to hold myself in check and not jump him in my excitement. Finally, after what felt like a way too drawn out minute, Teal'ce was in front of us; his hands clasped behind his back, half bowed in greeting.

"Nickolas." he bowed his head slightly, a curve to the corner of his lips as we clasped arms.

"Teal'c." I said in turn, a grin playing across my lips. "How are you?"

"I am well." he said. "And I trust the same is for you?"

I nodded. "This is Lt. Colonel Mitchell, Teal'c." I introduced to change the subject. "And he would like to discus something important with you." I gestured to Mitchell, who was standing beside me waiting patiently, I might add and took a step back.

"It's nice to finally meet you." Mitchell greeted in his usual drawl.

Teal'c gave him a head bow back. "What is it that you wish to speak about, Colonel Mitchell?"

"I have a proposition for you." Mitchell said in a formal, business-like tone of voice.

Teal'c nodded his consent.

"Rejoin SG-1."

"I have to be here, Colonel Mitchell, this is where I am most needed — where I need to be." Teal'c tried to decline, but Mitchell shook his head.

"You can rejoin SG-1 and still come back here when you're needed. I'm sure that the General would allow that." Mitchell made a counter offer.

Still, Teal'c looked conflicted.

"Come on, Teal'c." I gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder and he raised his brow at me as if to say what-the-Hell. "I know that you know that I know that you like being part of SG-1. They're like your family, Teal'c. Yes, this place is too and the rest of the Jaffa are, but are you really content to just stay here and be a council member? You are a man of action Teal'c, and you'll go crazy if you just sit there and twiddle your thumbs." I gave him a firm look, "Daniel and Colonel Carter have already agreed to join SG1 again, Teal'c. And that is the place where you belong."

Teal'c didn't say anything as he looked me for a moment and then Mitchell. "Indeed." he agreed with a bow of his head.


	8. Chapter 7

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**CH7**

I skipped down the halls of the SGC as I made my way to the mess hall to meet Jack for our designated lunch. At the moment I was on Cloud 9, probably feeling the way teen boys do when they finally have sex. And I'm telling you . . . things were awesome! Colonel Carter was back from Area 51, Daniel was going to stay and Teal'c was going to split his time between SG-1 and Dakara—and even Mitchell was turning out to be an okay guy. Today they were on their third mission, and even though it had been about two weeks, I was still up there in the sky.

The first thing that I did when I entered the mess was get my tray. Usually I would get an assortment of raw meats, like ground beef chicken ect., but today I went for as much Human food as I could consume. I took a few meat sandwiches, a bottle of orange juice and a bottle of water, a yogurt and a small bag of plain chips. I wasn't sure if it was really considered allot, it seemed little compared to what Teal'c always seemed to pile on his tray.

Jack looked up from his own lunch as I slid my tray on the table and took a seat across from him. I gave him a disappointed look. "You started without me." I pouted slightly.

"You were late." Jack said through a mouthful.

My brows furrowed slightly as I looked down at my watch. "No." I was astonished. "I'm on time."

"I was early and you were taking too long." he shrugged his shoulders nonchalant

"That's not my fault!" I exclaimed, my arms crossing over my chest.

"Well, I'm the General." Jack said cockily in turn.

I glowered at him. "That's cheating." I told Jack, but he just smiled at me. But then again he was right and there was no way that I'd be able to trump that, so I did let it go and started on my lunch. "_Sooo. . ._" I started after I finished my first sandwich. "What do you think of Lt. Colonel Mitchell?" I asked.

Jack paused for a millisecond, picking at his pie before he continued to chew his bite. He shrugged his shoulders. "He's fine as far as Colonels go."

I looked at him with my mouth agape, my expression full of amazement. "You're jealous!"

Jack's head snapped up and he looked around the mess with wide eyes, no one was paying one bit of attention to us. "Watch it, Lieutenant." he had on his General face.

I did watch myself, by laughing quietly instead of loudly. This time it was Jack's turn to glower. "I can't believe that you're jealous of Mitchell. You could have prevented this, you know. But you let Mitchell have free rein over who he could choose as his team. You were so confident that Daniel was going to make it to Atlantis, and that Colonel Carter would want to stay at Area 51, and that Teal'c would stay and help with the preparation's on Dakara. But what you didn't think was that they love this place, and that they love the adventure and that they *you, Jack. This is their home and their family, and they just adopted a brother." I paused. "You shouldn't be jealous."

"They're my team, and they've been my team since the beginning." Jack said.

I nodded. "I know." I told him. "They still are your's, just someone new joined the team. It'll take a while to get used to, but once you do I know that you won't regret it."

After that, I went to my quarters and changed into my gym clothes. I know that I didn't really eat that much and that all of those calories would easily burn off if I just walked around the base, but I felt like I needed to burn off energy. I wasn't fat by any means, but I still worked out every day, keeping myself in shape and up to par on my fighting skills.

I put on my ear buds, took off my shoes and took to the treadmill. I know that it was weird, but I felt more comfortable if I did these types of thing in my bare feet, and today I could because the gym was actually empty besides myself. So I turned the speed up to five and closed my eyes.

I didn't know how long I was like that for, but I was covered in sweat and gasped in surprise as SG-3 was called to the briefing room immediately over the PA system. I turned off the treadmill and grabbed at towel, wiping as much sweat off myself as I quickly made my way to the briefing room. I didn't have time to change clothes because when SG-3 was called, another team was MIA. I worried for a second that it would be SG-1, but then decided that this was their third mission so it couldn't be possible.

I made it just as the rest of SG-3, glad that I wasn't last. There was no time for sitting as Jack told us out mission, and by the look on his face I knew that he was really upset—and the only way that Jack would be that upset if the team that was missing was—

"SG-1 has missed their last two scheduled check-ins." Jack said. "I don't know what their status is, but I want you to go out there and I want you to find them."


	9. Chapter 8

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**CH8**

I entered the gate room just as they were starting to dial PX7/898, the planet that SG-1 had their mission on. I just couldn't believe that it was SG-1 that had gotten into trouble on their third mission—if they did have to get into trouble, it could have been on their sixth mission at least.

As the seven chevrons locked and that _ka-whoosh_ settled into the event horizon, I made sure that the straps on my vest were loose. I knew for anyone else, even myself it was dangerous, but if SG-1 really was in danger and needed to be found fast, then I could have to transform into a Tiger and it would be better if I could slip the vest off as fast as possible. A MALP was sent through first, and the immediate area around the gate was clear. Jack gave us a worried "God Speed" like Hammond always did, and as one SG-3 stepped through the gate.

The planet on the other side of the gate was very much Earth-like, unlike some of the planets that I had been to when I first joined the SGC. The gate was surrounding by forest, and as the rest of the team checked the surrounding area, I started to scent the air. There was nothing, or it smelled like there was nothing; which in itself was odd because forests smelled pretty strongly. I forced my eyes to see the scents, everything was gray and when I looked at my team mates I found that there own scents blended in with that of the forest. And that was when I knew that this place had been tampered with.

After clearing the area, the rest of SG-3 stepped back and let me do my thing. I carefully scrutinized the whole area, and almost missed it—the faintest wisp of navy-blue scent. I rushed to the tree that I was sure the scent was coming from and stuck my nose right to the rough bark. I inhaled deeply, taking in Colonel Mitchell's scent. I could just picture him— leaning against the tree as the others got the things ready to move out. I wasn't sure if whatever had happened here, but whoever did this was thorough enough to come back to the beginning.

I turned back to the others. "They were here," I told Major Hensen, who was looking at me expectantly. "But someone else came back here and covered up any tracks. I did find a slight trace of Colonel Mitchell's scent, so I might be able to work with that." Hensen nodded, she looked to the others on our team and opened her mouth to order the others. I bit my lip and held up my finger, drawing her attention. She closed her mouth and looked at me, her black eye brow raised. I gave her a nervous smile. "Because the scent is so faint and because someone messed with everything scent around here, I'm going to have to Change."

Hensen looked at me for a second before she nodded and turned her back on me, the others turned their back on me too. Quickly, I slid of my vest, my boots, and socks, unsnapped my gun holster and unzipped my jumper suit, I took off the T-shirt under that then with a breath slid off my briefs. Instantly the surrounding hot and humid air clung to me, I ignored it and hastily folded my things.

For an instant I felt the pull and tug and then I was a Tiger. I hit the ground on all fours, a small purr of satisfaction leaving my chest. At the sound the others turn and Sergeant Brady knelt down and put my things in his pack. I nodded to Hensen and she nodded back indicating that they were ready. I turned and began to sniff out SG-1.

The forest was big to say the least and the contamination that was disrupting SG-1's scent at the gate was also everywhere. But occasionally I did get snippets of scent, most were of Mitchell's navy-blue scent, but some times I would catch Teal's red or Carter's orange and even Daniel's green. They were just snatches, but enough so for me to make out a theoretical trail.

Finally the forest ended and we came out into a small green clearing. Hensen called for a five minute break and everyone sat on the ground exhausted. I Changed back into a Human, careful that I was covered when I did so. I looked at them with confusion.

"Why are you guys so tired?" I asked, looking at each in turn.

"Are you kidding?" Lieutenant Canden gasped, looking at me like I lost my mind. "It's been three hours and you were, like, running the whole time!"

Blush heated my cheeks. "Sorry." I said, realizing that I must have been going really fast while intent on finding the scents. "I'll check the surrounding area." I told Hensen.

She looked about to protest and tell one of the others to accompany me, but I had already turned into a Tiger and was in the trees. The others were wiped any way and I didn't even notice that I had been going it fast until it had been pointed out to me. Any way, it would give me a chance to see if SG-1 had been this way.

It was all clear and I was on my way back when I was sure that I had found the jackpot. All of SG-1's scents were floating about. They were very thin as if they had been sitting in the air for a long while, instead of if they had just come off of their original source. I gave smile of triumph, well, as much a a cat could smile. I started to walk again, a shadow coming from above as I walked under a branch over head. Suddenly, the ground gave way under me and I landed awkwardly on my legs. I felt a painful twinge as my right-hind ankle twisted painfully underneath me. I Changed back into Human form, looking around myself with fear.

I was in a fucking hole in the ground; I punched the dirt wall surrounding me in frustration. It was at least 10 feet high, I could try to jump out of it if I was a Tiger again, but I wasn't sure there was enough room and with my ankle . . . I think it was twisted. I was naked and I didn't have my radio, which was the only flaw with being a Tiger.

"Hello?" I yelled. "_Hensen! Brady! Canden_!" but all I got was the was my echoing shouts.

They were too far away to hear me no matter how loud I yelled. I sat back, my knees drawn to my chest; trying to fell a less exposed as possible in the given situation. Hopefully when I was gone long enough, SG-3 would notice and come looking for me. That or whoever had set this trap-thing would go after them next. I looked up at the at the branch above me, noticing movement just as something sharp pierced my thigh. I looked down, my eye lids already feeling heavy and falling as I took in the dart sticking up from my thigh.

God, I hated those things with a passion, I thought as the darkness took me away.


	10. Chapter 9

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**CH9**

"_Nick!"_

My eyes snapped open, and my head jerked with a jolt of surprise. "Shit!" I cursed as my head smashed into the something hard with a clang. I looked around to find myself in a metal cage, surrounded by other cages. The set up was like it is in a dog pound or something. Of course I was still naked, not having my clothes when I fell in that frigin' hole in the ground. Only my dog-tags dangled from around my neck.

"_Nick_!"

My name was called again and I peered out of my cage. Across from me, one cage to the right was—believe it or not—Daniel.

"Daniel? What the Hell!" I exclaimed.

He just shook his head at my language. "Are you all right?" he asked.

I nodded, despite the fact that I knew my ankle was twisted and that we were both captured by god knows who. "What about you?"

"Just fine." he said—and despite himself—slightly sarcastic. "Where's the rest of SG-3?" he asked in concern.

"I have no idea. They could still be on the Planet, completely unaware that I'm even missing, or they could be here somewhere too."

He nodded.

"Where's the rest of SG-1?" I asked. "Something bad hasn't happened, right?"

"You mean besides the fact that we were captured?" he asked. I put the sarcasm due to the situation.

"I am here, Nicholas." intoned Teal'c's voice; on my side of the wall, farther down near the end. "I am uninjured."

"What about Colonel Carter and Colonel Mitchell?" I asked when I didn't hear anyone else speak up.

"Sam wasn't here when we woke up." Daniel told me, his voice laced with worry. "And Mitchell was taken away sometime ago by two guys in a masks." Daniel had on a thoughtful expression for a moment. "They looked Human as far as I could tell, and they were huge—bigger than Teal'c."

I nodded, putting that little sliver of knowledge away for later—just in case there was a chance to escape. "It that all?" I asked. "There's been no leader or anyone in charge? No one's come in here and explained why we were captured or anything?" I asked.

Daniel shook his head, but Teal'c was the one to say the obvious answer. "They have not."

I peered through the bars at Daniel, finally noticing something. "You have clothes." I said like an idiot, the look Daniel sent me confirmed it.

"They took away most of it." he told me. "Our vests, weapons, packs, our boot laces, belts, everything metal—our dog tags. My glasses, pants zippers, all that is left is material."

At the mention of dog tags my hand went up to my neck, and instead of feeling dog tags like I had originally thought were there, I felt what unbelievingly felt like a collar. I ran my fingers over the wide surface. It felt to be two inches wide made of something like leather I think. I stuck my fingers in the space between the collar and neck, trying to see if I could yank in off or something, but instead of that happening it administrated a shock. My muscles seized and my nerves alit, I collapsed to the floor of the cage not able to move. It was like I was paralyzed.

From the corner of my eye I could see Daniel a wince and flash of guilt cross his face. "I should have told you about that." he admitted.

"Ya think!" I said with a clenched jaw.

It was about three minutes before I could move again, I was up and had my hands wrapped around the bars in front of me. With all the strength that I could muster—which was actually quite a bit—I yanked and pulled on the bars, either trying to rip them out or pry them open. Neither worked—I didn't really think they would, seeing as Teal'c would already be out if it had—and it pissed me off. Daniel looked at with concern I yelled and lashed out with my feet.

Mistake on my part, seeing as my ankle was screwed up, but in my sudden flare of anger it was forgotten. At least until my foot connected with the bar and a zing of pain shot through my ankle. This time I yelled out in pain, my eyes watering.

"Nick?" Daniel called out in a panic. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine." I ground out, holding my ankle gently in my lap and sounding anything but. "I think I twisted it when I fell into that trap."

"Why didn't you say anything?" he demanded.

"**Right**!" I scoffed, looking out through the bars at him. "Because the instant that I said something, I would get medical treatment."

Daniel's nostrils flared slightly and he narrowed his eye, but said nothing.

"Look," I told him. "Once we get out of here and back to the SGC—with Colonel Carter and Mitchell, I'll get it looked at. And once this door opens, whoever is on the other side is dead."

"I agree." Teal'c spoke up and that was when Daniel finally nodded. He never did like any type of confrontation. But when our own were in danger, all bets were off.

Silence surrounded us until I heard a faint clang-click, like a heavy steel door being open. I knew I was right when there were two sets of foot steps approaching and the very faint sound of something being dragged. I braced myself, ready to go on the offensive the instant the opportunity presented itself. But I faltered when the owners of the footsteps came into view. Both of them were huge, just like Daniel had said, they actually looked like those huge henchmen-bodyguards that you see in the movies. They were what looked like medical scrubs that were covered in what looked to be old and fresh blood stains. Their faces were masked, so I couldn't make out any features to distinguish the two of them. Though the one thing that I could tell, was that they were Human, male and were like zombies.

But it hadn't been the sight of them that had made me falter, not in the least. It was the fact that they were dragging, Colonel Mitchell between them. And even then that wasn't the precise fact that caused me pause, but the fact that he was naked, had the collar around his neck, he was covered in blood and what looked like claw marks. He was barely even conscious as they the cage door next to Daniel's was buzz open and they just tossed him in before shutting the door again. Mitchell rolled with the force, hitting the back of the cage with a grunt.

The two henchmen—Bill and Bob is what I'm going to refer to them as—stood in front of Daniel's cage, who had backed up into farthest corner of the cage that he could. Bob was looking at him, about to buzz the cage door open when Bill grabbed his arm and shook his head. Bob seemed to make a grunting sound, nodded his head and pointed to Daniel. Bill shook his head will force, and empathically made a gesture at me. I looked at them with wide eyes as they seemed to agree that their next plan of action was to take me to wherever it was that they had taken Mitchell.

"Shit." I cursed as they turned and came to stand in front of my cage. I readied myself just as my door was buzzed open and they reached inside to grab me. I lashed out, punching Bill with a force. It was like punching rock and I was sure that I broke a knuckle. They grabbed my arms and pulled me out, before I could ignore the pain and wind up for another swing.

I struggled in their grip, adrenaline taking away the pain from my ankle and hand. They nearly had me to the door when I Changed—I didn't want to do this in the beginning because either the collar would choke me death or it would shock me again. So I didn't really Change—I tried to and the collar around my neck sent another wave through me. It didn't help my cause of escape because I was now temporally paralyzed. This made it easier for the enemy to drag me off to the place of their choice without any resistance.


	11. Chapter 10

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**CH10**

I was able to start moving just after Bill and Bob strapped me down to what looked like one of those massage tables. Like the ones where you place your face in the ring so that they can get at your back. It was at a slight angle, so that it seemed to expose the back of my neck. There were also arm attachments, so that mine were spread out on either side. This was really awkward for me, hence the naked part. And when either Bill or Bob removed the collar from around my neck, I didn't hold back in my struggles. But as it turned out, this was as hard to break out of as the cage was.

"If I were you I wouldn't fight." a hot breath blew across the back of my neck and I froze, trying to shee away from the source, but the straps holding me down were tight. "Your friend did, and look what happened to him."

"What do you want?" I demanded, pulling uselessly against the restraints. "Who are you?"

"Why I'm the Doctor." he said, I heard rustling as he moved. "And you're just what I've been looking for over the years."

"What!" I exclaimed. "What the hell does that mean?"

"I saw you before you fell into my trap—I have eyes everywhere, you see." he told me as something cool and wet swiped across the upper part of my right butt cheek and the back of my neck. My shoulder's tensed as he continued to speak. "You are a Quatonian, my good fellow. And a very interesting a successful specimen, I might add." he placed a gloved hand above the spot on my lower back. "You might feel a slight pinch." he informed me.

And I did as he stuck a needle point in the spot that he swiped with what I am now going to assume was peroxide. And he pushed down on the plunger. I expect to fell drowsy almost instantly, but instead all of my tensed muscles were forced into relaxation. I tried to fight it, but as a minutes ticked by I couldn't even move. It was almost just like the shock collar—which was an insult by the way—but way less painful. There was a light clank as the Doctor set the used needle on a tray and picked up something else and came to stand by my head. My field of vision was limited to a very small space of the floor, and the toe of his shoes just barely came into it, their image a blur. I tried with every effort in my being to try and turn my head away, but whatever he had given me prevented my form doing so. It was like when your paralyzed and the doctor asks you to wiggle your toe, it feels like it did but in actuality it was still. Something big was about to go down, why else would he swipe the back of my neck? It was confirmed when he spoke up again.

"This will hurt a whole lot more." He told me, a hand on the back of my neck to hold my head incase the cocktail hadn't taken total effect. He placed something against the back of my neck, right below my hair line. It was sharp, whatever it was, I could feel it bite into my flesh as pressed down and could feel the blood well and drip down the side of my neck. And that was when I really freaked, what he gave me forced my body to relax, but I could still feel the pain and whatever it was that he was going to do to me.

A whimper left my throat. "Please don't do this." I begged. "You could just let us go and we'll never come back here again."

"I can't do that, I need you and you are very rare to come by." he said, dragging what I now assumed as a scalpel down the back of my neck.

I yelled out in pain. "_Fine_! Keep me, but let my friends go."

"I can't do that either." he set the scalpel down and placed something within the incision to keep it held open. I could feel more blood run down the side of my neck, and my vision blurred slightly. "If I let your Human friends go, then they will just send more people back for you. Those four Humans were are already enough, I had to let the ones that you were with you go."

I felt a chill go through me. He just said that he couldn't let SG-1 go because they would just bring another team back, and then he just said that he had let SG-3 go. The only thing that that could mean was that the Doctor had killed all of SG-3. He killed all of my team mates—without even a thought. A whimper of pain left my lips as I could feel his fingers in the back of my neck.

"_What are you doing_?" I cried out. He didn't answer me. It felt like my nerves were being pinched and twisted, I started to see spots. My heart rate picked up and my breathing quickened as I heard the muted sound on a small drill through the ringing and blood rushing in my ears. Tears fell from my eyes onto the tile floor beneath me. The blood from my neck that had collected on the table top by my shoulders, dripped over the edge to mix with the older blood stains that marred the floor. The drill stopped and I was left panting.

"I'm fixing you to suit my needs." he said finally, wiping around the incision before he took the clamps away. I could feel him pinch the skin back together, and each individual prick as he stitched the skin. He wiped around the wound again, and I yelled out as he pored something over it that caused it burn.

He patted the back of my head and the restraints holding me down were released. I hadn't even noticed the fact that the pressure and the angle that my anckle was in had caused it throb with unspoken pain. And the way that my hand had been strapped down, caused the broken knuckle to grind painfully. Add that to whatever the hell that Doctor did to the back of my neck, and I was in some real need of some pain killers.

Bill and Bob were there again, lifting me from the table and carrying me between them like they had Mitchell. I didn't even bother trying to come up with an escape plan, I still couldn't move and the way that they were carrying me caused my already twisted ankle to twist further. The hallway walls around me passed in a blur, until we came to a section of the building that changed from steel walls to those of brick. And the floor changed from tile to dirt.

We came to a stop in front of another cage, but instead of it being like the one that Daniel and Teal'c were in, it like a jail cell. Bob put the collar back around my neck while Bill held me, the door buzzed open and they tossed me in. Just like Mitchell had, I hit the floor painfully and with the force of it I rolled until I hit the middle of the cell. I groaned in pain, feeling the stitches in the back of my neck pull, and tears running down my cheeks.

Some rescue mission this was.


	12. Chapter 11

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**CH11**

I wanted to feel the stitches on the back of my neck, to see how big the cut was and the possible fact to see if I could get whatever the Doctor had put in there, out. It was too risky though, with the collar back on. I couldn't afford to be stunned again, I had to be alert incase anything went down.

I wanted to get up and check to see if there was any way to get out of this cell, but my ankle was swollen like a grape fruit at the moment. I had just enough mind to maneuver myself up onto the bench on the side wall. This place was disgusting. It smelled like mold and possible feces. It was like a Petri dish for viral infections and I was completely exposed with a wound and my gentiles. I wanted every shot known to man when we got back to the SCG.

I didn't know how long I sat there for, but the whole time I tried to come up with many escape plans. Each lead to nowhere, due to one fact—I didn't have enough information. I had to find out how to get this collar off. What the Doctor put inside my neck. The lay out of where ever we were being held. Where the room that was holding Daniel, Teal'c and Mitchell was. Find out where ever the hell Colonel Carter was. Find out who the Doctor was and what he actually wanted with me. And not pacifically in that order either.

It was too much and the only way that I could really get anything done was if I wasn't in this cell. There was nothing in this cell that I could use to get the door open, not to mention that it was an electrical lock. If Bill and Bob came back and opened the door, then I might be able to make an escape attempt, but that would only work if there were one of them.

I sighed in complete frustration, and squeezed my eyes tight. I could feel the throbbing in my ankle and knuckle, I could feel the pain in the back of my neck, and I could just feel my skin crawling with . . . I gagged to think of all of the microscopic bacteria crawling around.

My eyes snapped open as the cell door buzzed, and I tensed my muscles as the door opened. I cursed silently as I noticed that it was Bill and Bob again. When they grabbed me, I didn't fight back, not really. But I forced myself to walk and not be dragged; it hurt and I limped badly—B-squared having big strides—I wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of dragging me, though I couldn't tell what the hell these guys thought—as far as I knew, they didn't talk.

They took me down the dirt and brick hall, passing at least a dozen more cells in the process. I tried to see into them, to see if there were any other prisoners, but I couldn't see due to the fact of Bill and Bob's bulk. We came to a stop in front of a huge steel door at the end of the hall. Bob let go of me and twisted the rounded handle, slowly shoving the door open. I would have tried to get out of Bill's hold if it weren't for the simple fact that it would probably end with me having one less arm than before.

As Bob pushed the door open, light started to creep through the space and fill the hall. And I wasn't talking about overhead lights, I was talking about sunlight. I was nearly blinded when the door was finally opened and Bob came back, grabbing hold of my other side. I really struggled now—being in here was probably safer than being where ever I was being taken—but my struggles were useless, there was no way that I could escape their iron grip.

They pulled me to the entrance, and tossed me in like a rag doll. I rolled with it, hitting the ground and coming up in a sloppy crouch. I twisted—and despite the pain in my ankle—rushed for the door, but with their combined strength, Bill and Bob had the steel door closed before I could get there. On this side, the door was smooth.

"Hey!" I hollered, pounding on the rusted surface. But the only good that did was to screw up my broken knuckle more than before, and waste some of the much needed strength and energy that I knew I would need. I laid my forehead against the door for a second before I turned around, seeing where I now was.

The ground was covered in sand—bloody sand— incased in a circular looking arena. Overhead was incased in a dome like structure made of wood, the beams were spaced to let the sun shine through. It would be an easy escape—if it weren't for my ankle and the fact that surrounding the sand the walls were smooth all the way up until the roof started to curve. All the way on the other side of the structure, across from the steel door behind me, was another.

Almost the instant I noticed it, it open. Someone was shoved out and the door was pulled shut and locked. With my keen eyesight, I could see that it was a human with a collar around his neck too. He looked way older than me, probably in his sixty's. He was muscled, though his skin looked sickly and pale. He had dark bags under his eyes and a scruffy beard. He didn't look at me and he didn't move from off of his hands and knees; I didn't want to chance it, so I didn't move either. There was a crackling through the air, and I saw his shoulders tense. Mine did too as I felt an electrical charge run through the back of my neck, my hands went up and I tried to get at the back of my neck, but it was like a choke collar this time and I couldn't even get my nails under it.

I yelled out in pain as what felt like electricity traveled up and down my spine, alighting every nerve in my body. It traveled through my brain and into my muscles, lighting my on fire. My whole body seized and my sight blacked out. My eyes opened and it seemed like I was seeing everything through red tinted glasses. I shifted into a crouch, everything tense as I stared straight ahead at the man across from me. He was in the same stance as me, his face shadowed. Something inside of me caused me breath to pick up, it was fueled by fear and instinct—it was Sebastian, but at the same time, it wasn't.

Something inside of me, it was urging me to defend myself, to protect myself. And the only thing here that I needed to defend myself against was across the sand. At the same time we charged, running across the sand at each other. I leapt, feeling the stretch and pull as I Changed.


	13. Chapter 12

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**CH12**

The other prisoner—to my surprise—Changed too as we leapt at each other. And to my dread he turned into a big-ass lion. We reared back on our hind legs, our front paws up and our claws unsheathed. And that was all I saw before my vision went a complete and deep red—it was almost as if I was forced into a blackout. The next thing I knew, my razor sharp teeth were buried in the fur and flesh of the other prisoner—right through the collar.

My jaw was locked and I had a moment of pure panic before I got my jaw to go slack. I scrambled backward, transforming back into myself in my fear. My eyes were glued to the lion lying in the blood soaked sand. He gurgled for a moment, bloody bubbles forming at his lips before his eyes slowly slipped closed and he stopped breathing completely. He was dead . . . and I was the one that had killed him. He didn't transform back into a Human—for which I was grateful. It was hard enough to look at the dead, torn and bloody lion at my feet—I couldn't even comprehend what it would have been like if I was staring at a dead Human at my feet.

One of the doors was shoved open and Bill and Bob showed up. I didn't even try to scramble to my feet as they came towards us—me—or as it turned out, him. Bill kept a watchful eye on me as Bob took a hold of the lion's hind legs and started to drag him toward the door. He was through and Bob pulled him out of sight and down the hall to god knows where.

I knew that now was probably the best time to make my move; Bob was nowhere in sight and Bill had his back turned towards me. But I couldn't seem to move, my eyes glued to the spot where the lion had laid dead—where I had killed him, where the blood was soaked into the ground and mixed with the drag marks that lead to the steal door. This was my chance—probably my only chance—to escape, saving my life as well as SG-1's, yet here I was in shock.

Bill gave me a glance before he too, went through the door. I thought that I was home free, but a few seconds later another shape was tossed through the door and Bill and Bob dragged the door shut. I stared at the crumpled figure on the ground, their long brown hair hiding their face from sight. Slowly they raised their head, their hair moving from their face.

I stare at . . . her, as it turned out. She was about my age, if not younger with golden brown eyes to go with her hair. She was covered in dirt and grim, but I could still tell that her skin was porcelain-like underneath that. I could also detect the scent coming off of her that she hadn't bathed for a while—I didn't blame her, going off of my experience in those cells. She had on a collar like mine—and to my sudden realization; I noticed that she was also naked.

She was pretty—beautiful even—someone that I would consider to go out with if it weren't for that fact that I wasn't into that kind of thing. I looked at her again and she looked back, her eyes—I now noticed— were hooded and looked dead, just like the other Quatonian that I had just killed. And as that thought filtered through my mind, I realized that I was in the same situation with her as I had been with him.

Dread filled my as I felt an electrical charge run through the back of my neck again, and travel down and up my spine before searing into my brain and every nerve in my body. I yelled out through clenched teeth and from the corner of my eye I saw her tense. I again felt that need to defend and protect myself, as if the girl next to me was dangerous and a threat to my life. In this arena and with these collars, I knew that to be true. But if we were on Earth or another Planet, that might not be the situation.

Though now was not the time to think about the what-if's, because I blacked-out for a second again and when I came to my vision was tinted red. All my muscles bunched as I readied to leap at the slightest twitch from girl. She moved, jumping at me and so I moved—both of us against our will.

I may have been stronger, but she was actually, surprisingly quicker than I had suspected. Before I could Change, I felt her nails raked down the side of my face—just barely avoiding my left eye. I shoved her away, fully Changed at last. My vision went that complete and dark red. The next thing I knew, my claws were raking across her stomach and her organs fell out—she gasped for a moment before what life she had left, left her.

I sat back, a sob escaping my lips. I killed a Quatonian, and now I just killed some poor girl, her guts splayed around her still body like a thing of confetti. I gagged, doubling over as I puked up whatever was left of the food that I had eaten during my lunch with Jack. I spit, trying to get the taste from my mouth when one of the steel doors was shoved open. Bill and Bob came in, doing the same system as they did with the man, but this time when Bob dragged out the girl, some of her stayed behind in the sand.

I gagged again, turned away from the sight and put a hand over my mouth and nose, squeezing my eyes shut tight for a moment. I could taste their blood in my mouth, the iron like a penny. It was mixed along with my blood, but I couldn't tell the difference. Their flesh was between my teeth and the taste of it was on my tongue.

I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. I wanted out of this place. I wanted to stop killing people against my will and I wanted them to not to attack me just the same. But none of that was happening; I had to stay on guard if I wanted to survive. I had to keep the adrenaline running through me or else I knew that I would be able to feel the wounds inflicted on me and pass out. I was sure I was close to that from blood loss any way, but I had to stay alive if SG -1 and I were ever going to get out of here.

Someone else was shoved in again, and the steel door was pulled shut again.

"_Daniel_?" at the moment I was dumbfounded.


	14. Chapter 13

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**CH13**

"_Oh my god_!" Daniel exclaimed as he saw me. He scrambled over to me, clearly in shock. "Look at you. Are you okay?" he demanded, reach out to touch me.

I jerked away from his touch. "You can't be here!" I yelled at him.

He was still wearing his BDU's and black T-shirt just like he had in the kennel-cages. "Nick." he said, giving me a look. "You're really hurt."

"I'm fine." I lied, because I knew that if I thought about it I would feel it, and it wouldn't be good at all if I felt it. "You can't be here." I told him again, standing up and walking over to the closest door. There was no handle on this side and after checking I realized that the seal were air tight and there was no chance of me ripping it off it's hinges and getting Daniel out of here.

"Talk to me." Daniel had fallowed me.

I should have been keeping track of him because the next thing I knew, his hand was on my shoulder. Even though the touch was light and gentle, warm and wanted I ducked out of it as quick as possible. I backed away from him, keeping at least four feet of distance between us. His expression was hurt—as was expected—and determined.

"Bad things happen in this place." I said tightly. "People get hurt and people die. The person that captured us is no good, I don't know what he wants but he's horrible, Daniel." a lump formed in my throat; "I've killed people, Daniel—tore them to shreds."

He paled, taking a good look at me and then the surrounding area. He turned green then.

"I didn't want to." my voice was slightly pleading. "The Doctor-guy cut me open and put something in the back of my neck. It makes me do things, and I can't control myself. And if you're in here, than that mean's that one of us is going to die." I could feel my vision blur slightly.

"Nick—" Daniel started softly, but I cut him off with a violent shake of my head.

"No." I told him. "You have to kill me, Daniel. You have to."

"No." Daniel said epically in return. "No one is going to die."

"Daniel—" I cut off as I felt the electrical charge in the back of my neck.

I fell to me knees and reached up for the collar around my neck, Daniel rushed to me—which was the last thing that I wanted. I shoved Daniel away as I felt the charge start to go down my spine, and I grabbed for the collar around my neck. I got a shock from it, but it wasn't as powerful as it had been when I first tried to get it off. I pulled at it, trying to tear it away from my neck. I had to fight this, I told myself. I had tried to fight it with the man and the girl, but it hadn't worked. But it was different now, this was Daniel we were talking about, there was no way that I was ever going to harm a hair on his hair.

So I fought. The charge grew stronger and I knew that this had to do with mental strength as well as physical. I knew that if it left my spin and shot up into my head that I would be a goner and so would Daniel. I also knew that if I could get the collar off, then I could stop this.

I gave the collar one last yank and it actually came off—later I would come to the realization that the only reason that I did get it off was due to the fact that it had been damaged during my fights with the man and the girl that I had killed. I gave a yell of relief and triumph as I threw it to the ground. That was a mistake on my part as my concentration slipped slightly and the charge traveled back up my spine.

I could feel the sharpness of it in the back of my brain and yelled out in pain as well as frustration and anger. The need was coming again, the instinct to defend myself from a threat, trying to block out my actual thoughts. Daniel stayed where he was this time, knowing that now was not the time to screw around. He backed up from me as I fell to all fours, a roar leaving my lips.

It was in my head and in my muscles and nerves. My vision was starting to get a pink tint and I knew that I was losing this battle. The more I fought, the stronger the charge seemed to get. I was exhausted and I wanted to give into the need to Change. But if I couldn't do this for myself, then I had to fo it for Daniel's sake and life.

I could feel the stretch and pull as my body started to Change. My senses growing sharper as well as my teeth. I growled, grounding my teeth together. It cut my lip, but that just seemed to help—which was good news for me finally. I clenched my hands into fists, the slight pain of my sharp nails digging into the flesh of my palms helping my get my mind back. But I knew that I couldn't keep this up for long and that there was no way to fight this. So the only thing that I could think of was, that in order to get rid of this problem, I had to get rid of the source.

It was in the back of my neck—whatever it was—and that meant the it was probably in some way connected to my cerebral cortex or something or other. All that meant was that it was in a dangerous spot that could leave me paralyzed or leave me dead. Either way, I wasn't going to kill Daniel.

Without thinking to much into it then I already had, I reached for the back of my neck. My sharp nails tore into the flesh and broke the stitches—I thanked allot of people for the fact that the wound was still actually pretty fresh. I reached into the wound, frantically feeling around for whatever might be in there. My nail caught something and I pulled, hoping that I wasn't tearing anything important.

I literally screamed my face off in bloody murder at the pain that it caused. It felt like the paddle from a defibrillator were being held to my chest while they were on max, and behind my eyes there was such a bright flash of white light that it was like the sun was right in front of my face. I was sure that my heart had stopped for a second and that my corneas were fried as I collapsed to the ground.

"Nick!"

The next thing I knew Daniel was next to me, shaking me in a panic.

"_**Stop**_." I told him and he did instantly. I rubbed my eyes, squeezing them tight before opening them again and looked around myself—all the while swearing loyalties as I still had my sight. Daniel helped me sit up and I leaned against him for support as I rubbed my soar chest. Actually that wasn't the only thing that was soar, my whole frigin' body was like one big hurt. Before I could ask what the hell had just happened, one of the steel doors was shoved open and in came Bill and Bob.

Daniel was up in an instant, standing protectively in front of me. I stood up too, though much slower as I was starting to feel my injuries. But as I finally stood and looked at Bill and Bob, I realized that they were ready for a fight. As i came to that realization, a shot of adrenaline coursed through me and I stood up straighter, coming to stand beside Daniel. He gave me a weird look before he turned back to B-squared.

"Look, guys." Daniel said, his voice reasonable. "If you just let us go, there won't be a problem."

"That's not going to work, Daniel." I told him as Bill and Bob stayed silent. "Not this time."

"I know." Daniel gave a disappointed sigh. "But you know that I hate confrontation."

The corner of my mouth twitched. "It can't be avoided forever."

And that was when it started. Daniel went for Bob and I went for Bill, or maybe it was the other way around. I wasn't sure how they fought, seeing as the were fucking huge and that was all they probably needed. Daniel was a good fighter, he had to be after all of the training that SG-1 put him through. And I was a good fighter as well, though probably not at the moment. The only thing that I knew that I had going for me was the fact that I could Change into a big-ass feline.

But when I charged at Bill, I didn't feel the stretch and pull as I Changed—quite frankly I didn't feel much. Not until Bill swatted me away like a fly and I hit the surrounding wall, hard and with a grunt. Now I was definitely feeling something. I struggled to my feet quickly as Bill approached, I knew that I couldn't freak-out quite yet on the fact that I didn't Change, that me ripping whatever it was that had been in the back of my neck screwed me up.

I lashed out, racking my sharp nails across his face. And unlike with the girl, my nails hit his eye. There was blue and clear fluid, as well as gross stuff under my nails. I tried to ignore it, and was pissed when Bill didn't seem to be affected at all. I couldn't tell how Daniel was doing, but since Bob wasn't over here with Bill, I assumed that he was doing pretty good. Bill reached out and before I could duck, his hand wrapped around my throat and my feet lifted off of the ground.

I gasped for air, my hands clawing at the arm, but it was no use. My breath was leaving me, and so was my consciousness. Spots formed in my vision as Bill continued to crush my wind-pipe. With one last spur of adrenaline I used the fact that I was handing in the air to my advantage. I pushed back from him, and using the momentum of that and my weight came back with my legs stretched out stiff in front of me. I squeezed my eyes tight in anticipation of the pain to come as my feet connected where all men breathe.

Apparently Bill was Human because he let go of my neck and fell to his knees, a pain filled noise leaving his lips. I dropped to the ground too, landing on my already majorly sprained ankle. I was sure I blacked out for a second form the pain, but the instant I came back I scrambled to my feet. Daniel was struggling with Bob and I could understand why. I also knew that we only had to delay Bill and Bob for a second so that we could get to the door and shut it, making it so that they would be stuck here for a while like I was.

So I ran towards them—despite the pain in my ankle—and dived, sliding in the sand. Unknowingly, Daniel moved out of the just in time as my raised fist touched down in the same place that had taken down Bill. I knew that any other time in may have been a cheep shot, but at the moment I wasn't above anything. He went down like a sack of potatoes, just like Bill had—but not a dead or unconscious sack of potatoes, just a very pained one.

Daniel took a second to look at me with wide eyes and a slack jaw, before he got it together and rushed over to me. "Are you okay?" he asked, not even waiting for my answer as he grabbed my arm and pulled me up, all but dragging me through the door. Together we pulled the foor shut again, twisting the lock tight.


	15. Chapter 14

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**CH14**

I knew that we needed to move, that we didn't have time to rest, but I just needed a moment. My adrenaline was at it's lowest levels at the moment and the pain was coming, I wasn't sure if I could move any more. As I leaned against the wall, Daniel took off his long sleeve and wrapped it around my waist, and tied the sleeves behind my back. My eyes slipped closed for a second and I felt his hand on my cheek, wiping away a tear that had escaped my eye.

"Nick." Daniel spoke softly. "I know that you're hurting right now, and all you want to do is lay down. But we have to go, we have to find the others and get the fuck out of this place and off this Planet." he uncharacteristically, but under the circumstances he could swear as much as he wanted.

I nodded in agreement and opened my eyes, stepping away from the wall. He carefully put my arm over his shoulder and put his own around my waist, we started to walk. Slowly but surely it changed from dirt and brick to tile and steel. We past the cages that I had been thrown into after I was taken form the other, and they were empty. We didn't how many people were here, how many guards and stuff that the doctor had so we were as careful as we could be. But the thing was that we didn't know where the hell Carter was, so we had to check every room that we passed—we also didn't have the correct location of where Daniel and the other were either.

But finally we found the room that Carter was being held in, and she looked at us in surprise as well as relief—I would be relieved too if I were her.

"It's good to see you guys." she breathed out.

She was wearing what Daniel and Teal'c were, just material things—and the collar, of course. And this room was much like the other one, though Sam was along. But the thing that was different about this room was the fact that all of SG-1's weapons were on the table that was next to Carter's cage. I turned to that to see if I could find anything that would help open the door. I felt something brush the back of my legs and put it off to the sleeves from the shirt.

"_Holy Hannah_!" Sam exclaimed, looking at me. "Are you alright, Lieutenant?" she shared a wide eyed look with Daniel, who gave a quick shake of his head.

"The doors are electrical." I said. "I don't suppose that either of you have any idea as how to open them?" I didn't answer her question, talking about it only made me feel it and right now I didn't have time to feel the pain of my current injuries.

"Oh." Daniel raised a hand and I turned to him. "I think this might help." he said, and stuck his hand in his pant's pocket, pulling out something. "I took it off one of the guards before we got out of there." he said.

From what I could see, it was some sort of switch devise. And if we were lucky, it would solve our door problem from here on out. Daniel pointed the small box at Carter's cage, making sure the antenna was pointing in the same direction and flipped the switch. I winced as there was that loud buzz and instead of just hers opening, all of the cage doors in the room popped open. Carter slid from the cage with relief; she stretched and cracked her back.

"Those things are unbelievably cramped." she complained. "Treating us like animals." at the last word her eyes unconsciously shifted to me. I didn't mind, I was used to it by now but it did bring the question of why Sam gave me the glance. I knew that she was used to it, but I guessed that she was still freaked out about how I knew that I probably looked.

"We should take as much as we can carry." I said, turning back to the table.

"I agree." Carter said, coming up beside me. "We have no clue as to how many enemies are out there."

Carter and Daniel put clips in their pockets as well as a hands gun each and a zat gun, throwing the straps from the P90s over their shoulders—and, thankfully one of the GDOs were there too. I held a zat with my stiff fingers, and with an arm over Daniel's shoulder for support, we continued to check the rooms. And as it turned out, the room the rest of SG-1 was being held in was only a few doors down from where Carter had been held.

Carter went first and Daniel and I after her, we came into to view for of both Mitchell and Teal'c

"Sam! Jackson! Am I glad to see you guys—And holly crap Summers, you look like Hell!" Mitchell exclaimed. "*And a cat . . ." he whispered under his breath.

My lips twisted as I answered him. "I'm so glad that you noticed, Colonel."

He just gave me a raised brow of worry before he turned to Carter. "Can you get us outta here, or what?" he asked.

Carter nodded, taking the switch from Daniel. She flipped the switch and all the cage doors opened.

"Could one of you guys, uh, you know give me something to cover up with?" Mitchell asked with a wince present in his expression.

Carter turned her back on him, a slight blush to her cheeks.

Teal'c took of his jacket and handed it off to Mitchell, who used it to cover himself as he slid down from the cage and tied the sleeve around his waist—much like Daniel had done for me—and twisted it halfway around so that it covered more, only showing some cheek and a thigh. The bloody scratches that had covered his body—the ones that I saw before when he was thrown into the cage and taken away, were now scabbed. Carter and Daniel spread around the weapons, Daniel giving Teal'c his P90 so that he could better handle me.

"I think it's about time we get outta here." Mitchell said and everyone nodded their agreement.

"Wait." Teal'c said before the door could be pushed open. "What of these collars?" he asked.

"Right," Carter cursed. "I can't believe that I forgot about those."

"How do you purpose we get them off?" Mitchell asked, his hand going up to tug at the leather, but at the last second let his hand drop. "How'd you get your off?" he asked me, noticing the fact that I didn't have mine on any more.

"It got damaged." I told them, the leather already torn slightly, so when I did try to get it off, it didn't zap me as much."

A weird and very concerned look crossed Daniel's face at the mention at what happened in the arena. "Do you think that the switch might be able to help with that?" he asked Carter. "Maybe make it so that it would zap us, at least?"

A thoughtful expression crossed her face and she turned to Mitchell, who winced as he realized that he was probably going to be her tester-dummy. But he knew that there was nothing that he could say or do to stop her, so he let her inspect his collar without resistance.

The collar was completely smooth on the outside, there didn't even seem to be a buckle or anything. She was about to give up when she found a small hole in leather, located at the back. It was a small as one of the holes in a button, and instead of being round it was triangular. She furrowed her blond brow for a moment before she took the switch back out form her pocket. She looked at it for a moment and realized what was tickling the back of her mind. The switch had an antenna attached to it, and she saw no real reason as to why if it seemed to open at of the cages instead of just one. But as she noticed earlier, the antenna was different than others she had seen before. Instead of being round, it was triangular, just like the little hole in the back of Mitchell's collar.

She lightly placed her hand on the back of his shoulder, signaling Mitchell to hold still—and to warn him—as she carefully slipping the tip of the antenna into the triangular hole. Mitchell's shoulders tensed as did the rest of us in anticipation as Carter flipped the switch. There was a beep and then the collar just sort of fell to the floor from around Mitchell's neck. There was no build up or anything; there had been no noticeable seam either and some how when it had hit the ground the collar locked again.

"_Sooo_ . . . I guess that works." Mitchell said as Carter went over and did Teal'c and Daniel, before giving the switch to Mitchell so that she could do his.

"Now I think we can go." Daniel said.

Teal'c took point with Daniel and me in the middle, leaving Carter and Mitchell to watch out backs. The hall continued on straight, and we kept passing door after door—never a window in sight. I didn't know how long we walked for, it felt like forever, but was probably forty minutes or so. We came to a set of stairs, and stopped. I gave sigh of relief, knowing that I was putting more of my weight on Daniel than I should.

Daniel looked at me in concern. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Do you think that you can make it up the stairs?"

I nodded and by the looks that SG-1 sent me, I knew that they knew that I knew that I was lying my nonexistent socks off. But I had to bull through this, I couldn't be a burden—not at the risk of their lives.

Carter furrowed her brow for a second. "Hey." she said, drawing everyone's attention to her. "If Lieutenant Summers is here, then where's the rest of SG-3?" she asked.

All gazes turned to me and I paled at the reminder. I squeezed me eyes tight for a second and swallowed, my mouth and throat dry as hell—the only taste was that of blood, whether it was mind or not I still wasn't sure.

"I think that I got hit first, and then I assuming that they went after the rest of SG-3." I said, my voice quite. "I asked the guy that captured us what he did with them. He said that "he let them go", but the way he said left me inclined to think that he killed them." each of their faces were masked with different emotions, dealing with this loss in a different way. I looked to Mitchell. "If you got those in the way that I think did, then you're lucky to be alive." I gave a cough and licked the blood from my lips. "Now are we going to go up these stairs or what?"


	16. Chapter 15

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**CH15**

I wish that I could have prepared myself better, that I had adrenaline left in my system that could help me bypass the complete pain that I was in. I thought that I was ready for this type of excretion, but maybe I didn't fully understand the seriousness of my injuries. The blood loss that I had suffered, the concussion that I had, and how really fucked up my ankle really was.

I was really hot, and each and every cut that was on my body was on fire and it felt as if the were pulsating. Daniel was basically carrying me up the steps, and I knew that infection was probably starting to set in right about now. And I knew that fever had to be too, because I kept feeling something brush the back of my legs and I knew that the sleeves weren't long enough to do that. My teeth were sharp and pointed, biting into my gums and lips. My ears felt itchy and hot, and my vision was halfway between normal and able to see the scents coming from SG-1.

That flight of stairs put me over the edge and I collapsed, just barely making it to the platform and taking Daniel down with me. My stomach was tight and constricted; it felt like it was full of lead and crushed into a ball. I retched, there was nothing left in my stomach, and all that came up was bile and flam. As it turned out, blood too. It speckled my lips, and flecks of it ended up on the floor with the bile.

I gasped, my arms wobbling like crazy. I collapsed on my side on the cold floor, my arms not able to support my weight anymore. My eyes were glossed and half lidded.

"Shit!" Daniel cursed, kneeling down beside me. "Nick?" the back of his hand laid against me cheek and I gave a sigh. "He's running a high fever."

Sam gave a sniff, the air around me smelled slightly sour. "I think infection is starting to set in." she said, her voice full of worry.

"This isn't good." Daniel hissed needlessly under his breath. "He should have gotten medical attention, like yesterday."

"We can't do anything here." Mitchell pointed out.

Daniel nodded and looked at Teal'c. "Do you think you can carry him the rest of the way, Teal'c?"

Teal'c gave a nod, handing his P90 to Daniel, and with his expression grave he bent down and carefully took me in his arms.

"Be careful." Daniel cautioned, Teal'c gave him a look in return as he stood back up, holding me bridal style. But he couldn't help it as I groaned and my head lulled on Teal'c's shoulder. "He has a concussion, and be careful of the wound on the back of his neck, it looks pretty bad."

Teal'c gave a slight nod this time, understanding where Daniel was coming from. "I will do as you suggest." I could his voice rumble through his chest.

"His ankle looks pretty messed-up too." Mitchell pointed out.

Daniel looked at it and paled—I knew that by now it was probably more than just a twist, and swollen bigger than a grapefruit. "I think that he injured when he got captured."

"We have to go." Carter interrupted. "The longer we stay here, the worse the Nick's going to get."

The threat of my life must have drilled some sense into Daniel worry-crazed mind, and kicked everyone else into action. On the platform, there was a steel door—again it was much like a volt door and like the arena doors. With the help of Carter, she and Daniel pulled it open. Slowly sunlight leaked in and we knew that this was the way out, and all we had to do was find the gate. The stair that we had just up, led me to believe that the compound that we had been held in was underground.

I knew that in the back of my mind I knew that figuring that out wasn't a great accomplishment, but my fevered one begged to differ. The forest was ahead of us now, and I wasn't sure which direction SG-1 decided to take. If it were me, I would have headed straight—it was probably the best bet. But what did I know? My view consisted of Teal'c's shoulder and neck, and a tiny slice of what I figured might have been sky—but I couldn't really tell because I had to close my eyes, the motion causing my stomach to roll.

We finally made it to the gate without any delay. To me it actually made it in a short period of time, but it was probably longer than that—SG-1 was out of breath. The MALP was still at the stargate and once we got there, Carter went to the DHD and started to Earth. Mitchell kept an eye out for any trouble and Daniel came over to where Teal'c still held me to the side.

"Nick?" Daniel called me softly, his hand running through my sweat soaked hair. I moaned at the touch, not able to open my eyes. "Just hang in there, we're almost back home."

"He is very ill." Teal'c intones softy too. "He is not as he once was."

There was a pause before Daniel spoke again. "Whoever took us did something him. When he got the collar off, he tore something out of his neck and now it's like he stuck halfway in between."

I was confused as to what the hell they were talking about and before more could be said, the gate was activated.

"We're good to go!" Carter called after she finished typing SG-1's code into the GDO. "This is Colonel Carter, we're gonna need a medical team." she spoke into the radio on the MALP.

Mitchell went through the gate first, then Colonel Carter with the MALP, fallowed by Teal'c and me then lastly Daniel. The reentry from the gate left me gasping for air—it was like when a big gust of wind blows in your face, and you literally can't breathe for like three seconds. Their boots clanked on the ramp and there was a whole lot of noise that I could have gone without.

I had held on to consciousness this long and the instant that Teal's laid me on the gurney and a whole lot of hands were touching, I let go of that threat. The bright lights that had seemed to shine through my closed lid, now faded into blackness.


	17. Chapter 16

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**CH16**

Bright overhead lights caused spots to fill vision. Usually this would piss me off, but today it was a sure sign. A sure sign that I was alive, so I didn't cuss or anything. This meant that I was in the SGC infirmary, on the road to recovery. I was actually feeling pretty good, considering the condition I had been in earlier. Actually, to feel this good I must have been on some pretty good pain killers.

Looking around I found that I had one of those private rooms—which was actually a surprise. I was hooked up to a heart monitor, oxygen tubes up my nose and an IV in the crook of my elbow as well as in the top of my hand. They were hooked to my left arm, because my right hand was wrapped in a cast. I wasn't wearing a gown or anything and I was pretty sure I wasn't wearing underwear either—I could feel the scratchiness of the blanket on my tender flesh. And speaking of that, my chest was covered in bandages. They were on my arms as well as my back I was sure. My right leg was out from under the blanket, my foot elevated on a pillow. My ankle was wrapped in bandages and what looked to be a soft cast, it looked red and swollen, and there was a steady ach coming from it. I craned my neck, trying to get a better looked when—well it frigin' hurt, to be honest. And that reminded me of the Doctor and whatever he had put in my neck, me tearing out the stitches and ripping out whatever it was that he had put in there. I laid my head back down and ran shaking fingers through my hair—and found a light bandage wrapped around my head.

I wasn't sure how long I had been out for, but I was still tired. I didn't really feel that up to a check up or whatever, so I didn't make a fuss. I shifted on the bed, trying to get comfortable. There was a sort of lump in the sheet where my lower back was, and after a minute I got it flattened. My eyes slipped closed and the room around me faded away.

The next time I opened my eyes, the light was still there. I had been happy the first time, but now it was just annoying. I turned my head away and found that the chair at my side that I hadn't noticed before was now occupied. He looked like he was dozing, his arms crossed and his chin resting on his chest.

"_Daniel_." I called, but it came out as a croak instead.

I cleared my throat to try again, but my throat was too dry. I looked around me to see if there was anything that I could throw at him to wake him up, but there was nothing near. I calculated the distance from my bed to his chair, and found that it was close enough. I shifted in the bed—that lump under my lower back returning—and reached out my right arm. It was a little heavy and sore, but I had just enough reach to touch his pants. I pinched some of the material between my fingers and tugged. He jerked awake, almost falling out of the chair in the process.

"Careful." I told him, though my voice was but a whisper.

Daniel looked at me. "Nick!" he grinned with relief. "You're finally awake."

I raised an eyebrow at the comment, but shook it off. "I'm sure it hasn't been that long."

Daniel scratched. "It's kinda been four days, Nick."

"What?" I exclaimed. "Four days?"

I tried to sit up. Daniel saw the pained expression that crossed my face and quickly stood, a light hand on my shoulder. He lightly pushed me back down. "Careful." this time he was the one to chide me. "Four days may seem like awhile, but you were in pretty bad condition."

"Fine," I forced myself to relax, which was kinda hard considering that frigin' lump! I made a noise of frustration. "Do you think that you can fix the sheets?" I asked Daniel. "There's this lump in the sheet that's annoying the crap outta me." before he could say anything, I rolled away from him. Moving the blanket that covered me out of the way, and belatedly remembering that I was naked. It didn't really matter any way; it wasn't like Daniel hadn't seen me naked a hundred times over before. A hesitant and uneasy expression crossed Daniel's face, and I looked at him over my shoulder with my brow furrowed. "What?"

"Um—that's not the sheet." he said after a moment.

I rolled back. "I'm not fallowing you."

"Nick—" Daniel started before he stopped, licked his lips and started again. "Do you remember when you said that the man who captured us, put something in your neck to make you do things that weren't in your control?" I nodded. "And then you tore into your neck, and pulled something out?" I nodded again. "Something happened after that."

"I know." I agreed. "When we had to take out those two guys, I tried to Change, but nothing happened." I paused, a troubled look crossing my. "I think I'm stuck, whatever was put in me controlled my whether I Changed or not—and when I forcefully took it out, it must have short circuited the connection that allows me to transform."

Daniel took a breath. "Not quite." he said slowly.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, you're kind of stuck in between." he winced slightly.

"Stuck in between what?"

"You're stuck in between your transformation." he told me, a nervous smile on his lips.

"Like—you mean that I'm half human and half animal?" I questioned.

"Well—Tiger would be more accurate." Daniel corrected awkwardly.

I looked at him with wide eyes, my heart beating rapidly. "If the lump isn't the sheets, then what is it?" I asked, even though I had my suspicions.

"It's a, uh, a tail." Daniel said with hesitation.

My nostrils flared as I breathed heavily through my nose. I reached underneath myself and felt for the "lump", and instead of feeling the sheets in my grasp, I felt something furry. It twitched in my hand; the fur was soft and short. I pulled it out from beneath me; its pattern was that of a tigers, black and orange with a white tip. I squeezed and I actually felt the pressure—it felt as if someone was giving my arm a squeeze, but not quite. I let go and it fell to my lap.

I looked at Daniel. "What else?"

"Your ears,"

My hands shaking, I reach for my ears. Without my hair still cut short, my ears were easy to find. Instead of my finger tips finding the shell of a rounded ear, they came in contact with the triangular ears of a tiger. They were pointed and covered in a downy-fur that I assumed was like my tail. They flickered and twitched at the contact, much as they did when I was fully transformed and something near brushed near them. I gave Daniel a wide eyed look.

"Your nails." he told me and I looked at him in confusion.

I was sure that I would have notice a difference in my nails when I notice the IVs, and the cast around my hand. I held up my right hand and looked at it, it looked like it usually did, except maybe after feeling them, my nails felt a little thicker than normal. Again I gave Daniel a confused look. Leaning forward he gave me an apologetic look, and too a hold of my index finger. He pushed down on the part just above the nail—just like when you squeezed at cats paw and the nails come out—mine grew and curved downward into a sharp point. Freaked out, I yanked my hand away and my nail went back to normal.

"Your eyes and teeth," Daniel said, no need for prompting here—might as well get it over with as fast as possible.

The soreness in my gums would explain that, their sharpness biting into them. And me being able to see the scents when I felt like it, meant that my eyes had been like they were before, though Daniel probably meant that my pupils were permanently in the diamond slits.

"Is that it?" I asked and Daniel nodded. So now I supposed that I was like _Inu Yasha_ from that anime show. "Great." was all I said in return—depression was probably immanent.


	18. Chapter 17

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**CH17**

I was right, this was shit topped with some more shit.

The scratches that they girl had done, were all but superficial—they didn't even need a bandage. Other things like the broken, bruised and cracked ribs meant other things. Along with the broken nose, the shoulder that I didn't know was dislocated, my knuckles and ankle. The lacerations caused by the other Quatonian were horrific compared—there was definitely going to be scaring—not to mention my neck. Frasier made me stay in bed for a few more days, resting and getting my strength back. After that it was a day in a wheel chair, then crutches after that.

I was finally free, but had to visit the infirmary on a daily basis to get my wounds cleaned and re-bandaged. I also had to take about three different kinds of pills—each bigger and gross tasting than the last—one was a pain killer, another was antibiotic to fight off infection and the other one was to help me sleep. And because now that I was human or an animal either, the pain killer effected me differently. Some days I was fine, others I was woozy and dizzy, sometimes sick to me stomach, then there were the times that it felt like I had taken the hole bottle and couldn't even get up out of bed. So I only took one when I was in some serious pain.

I tried—and wished—that I could stay in my room, but as it turned out I was under doctor's orders to do otherwise—that is after about a week of bed rest. So I had to leave my room, and because my ankle had been so screwed up, I had found out that surgery was done on it. The twist had been so bad, and with my weight on it, and the fact that I had fought—it tore some of the tendons, so Doc Frasier had to go in and repair them.

I crutched my way to the workout room where my physical therapy session was—I had to re-strengthen my ankle. I wore a sweater and pair of gym short, with one running shoes on, my other ankle wrapped in bandages. I had the hood up, my head and face deep in the cowl, and my tail—of which I still had no control over—tucked into my sweater. I still wasn't totally sure about the whole, half-human-half-tiger thing just yet. I had been fine with me transforming into a full tiger—I had three years to get used to it and Sebastian as a matter of fact. But now I was stuck in between, and Sebastian was nowhere to be found. I had tried to _kel'no'reem_ while I was on bed rest, but couldn't quite seem to concentrate.

I kept my head down, my eyes trained on the thin blue line on the hall floor that would lead me to the gym. With my eye now stuck in tiger mode, I was constantly seeing the scents of everything—though instead of everything else that I was scenting being in black and white, they were in full colour. I wasn't sure if I would be able to turn it off or anything, being as effected as I was on the pain killers.

And as it so happens, with my head down, I didn't notice in time the "wet floor" sign, or the fact that someone had crossed paths in front of me without my knowledge. I crashed into them, the officer barely even stumbling at the contact—I on the other hand, suffered a different fate. The sudden stop, and my not so stable stance—what with my ankle and the need of the crutches, my shitty grip with my damaged hand and the fact that the floor was wet was my down fall.

I hadn't taken on of my pain killers, because I wasn't sure which effect it would have on my today, and I figured that I would need to be able to concentrate for my session. The grip on one of my crutches failed and fell to the floor, causing me to loose even more of my balance. I reached out, trying to grasp anything that might keep me upright, but there was nothing and my fingers could barely stretch out. My injured ankle hit the ground and a painful twang traveled up my leg, I let out a gasp. The surprise of it caused my grip on the other crutch to go, and it landed on the floor semi behind me. The balance on my one foot was not good, and the slick floor beneath me sent my foot out from under me.

I fell painfully on my back and on the crutch, my head and ankle seemingly hitting it as an after thought. I was still, all of my muscles tense, afraid of the pain that would come if I tried to move.

"Lieutenant?" I could hear the wince as well as the Kansas drawl. "Are you OK?"

I gave a pitiful moan in answer, looking up to see Colonel Mitchell not realizing until then that I had had my eyes squeezed closed. And as it was, a wince was the prominent expression on his face, and that of apology.

"Can you please get the crutch out from under me?" I asked through gritted teeth.

Mitchell gave a nod and knelt down next to me. Carefully he wedged his hands underneath my back, and took most of my weight off of the crutch, leaving one hand beneath me; he used the other to pull the crutch out. He gently laid me back down.

"Any things else?" he asked. "Like maybe a medical team?"

I shook my head. "I have a thing." I told him. Yeah, there was no way I was going to do physical therapy now. Eventually I was going to get up, and when I got back to my quarters I'd just call in. But right now I knew what I had to do. With my good hand I reached into my sweater pocket and took out my pills bottle. I popped the cap off, and in turn popped a pill into my mouth, swallowing it dry. "What?" I said as Mitchell raised a brow at me. I didn't take a pain killer before my session so I could concentrate, but that didn't mean I could take one or a few afterwards. It took a moment for them to kick in, but when they did a slow smile spread across my lips. I had never actually drank before or smoke pot or anything like that, but this was probably what being drunk or high felt like—also one of the after effects of the pain killers.

And with that highness, the pain that was caused generally and from the fall disappeared. I started to get up. In a slight panic and not really knowing what to do, Mitchell helped me stand. Weight was put on the hand and on my ankle, but I felt none of it. Mitchell handed me the crutches, and I took them knowing that if I walked without them I, I would regret it later.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mitchell asked in guilty concern.

"I'm fine." I told him, not even getting a bit annoyed at the fact that he had already asked that before—one of the perks of being high, I assumed. I started to crutch my way in the opposite direction of which I had been going before.

"Where are you headed?" he asked, keeping in stride with me. "I'll walk with you."

I didn't bother to tell him no, he would have made an excuse to walk with me any way, so I let it slide. We went to the elevator, and got out of the elevator in silence. When we got to my quarters, he silently fallowed me inside, shutting the door behind him and turning on the light as I sorta spaced out and forgot to. I got to the middle of the room and dropped my crutches, and stripped off my sweater. I had nothing underneath, except that of the bandages that covered a maximum amount of stitches underneath each, and a tail that was not under my control. I kicked of my shoe and the next thing to go was my short.

"Whoa!" Mitchell said in surprise, his eyes wide and his hands up.

I looked over my shoulder at him, my brows furrowed in confusion. The truth was that I sorta forgot that I was naked, and that he was standing right there—a superior officer no less.

"It does look as bad as it did when we were on the Planet," he said, his eyes slightly squinted as he put me under the scope. "Minus the blood, mind you."

I turned to him, my hands going to my hips as my tail swayed lightly behind me. "You didn't look to good either." I told him, a slight haze to my eyes. I put most of my weight on my uninjured leg.

"Minus the blood." he drawled, leaning back against the wall.

"He made you fight." I said, reminded of past sight.

Mitchell eyes turned thoughtful for a moment before he stared straight at me. "In a way, yes."

"If you didn't, you would be dead right now." I pointed out.

"Good point." he agreed.

"How'd you do it?" I asked so suddenly, I think he was a little startled.

He clenched his jaw for a second before it relaxed. "I snapped his neck." his tone of voice was void of emotion.

I felt a shiver travel down my spine. "I can still taste their blood in my mouth." my voice came out a whisper, my eyes locked on his boots. "Their blood is still under my finger nails." I looked up at him, my eyes wide and scared. "That was the first time that I killed someone—two within the same hour."

"You have to be _strong_, Lieutenant." Mitchell said, his voice confident. "I haven't known you that long, but I do know that you have a set of balls and I've seen how strong you can be."

A grin spread across my lips as I pointedly glanced down at myself, before looking back up at Colonel Mitchell. "Yes," I agreed. "I believe that I do have a set of balls." a snicker left my lips.

Mitchell shook his head. "How many of those pills did you take?" he asked me.

"One!" I laughed, hold up a finger.

"You're the kind of guy that gets drunk off one beer, aren't you."

I just smiled at him. "Beer isn't good for no kitty-cats." I giggled.


	19. Chapter 18

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**CH18 **

**THREE MONTHS LATER**

"_OW!_" I exclaimed, trying to jerk my foot back.

Daniel rolled his eyes at me, keeping a hold his grip on my foot. "Oh, stop whining."

I was speechless at the off hand comment to my pain.

"Don't give me that look." Daniel scolded. "If you weren't lazy and used it more, then it wouldn't hurt and get cramps or lock when you finally did use it."

"I'm not lazy!" I defended, sitting up straighter in Daniel's desk chair. He looked up at me, his expression open as he waited. "I, uh . . . I'm embarrassed." I said finally.

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about." Daniel tried to assure me, but I shook my head, my expression shamed.

"Have you seen me lately?" I asked rhetorically. "Mitchell went through the same thing that I did, and look how that turned out! How can I even be called a soldier—a Lieutenant? If I can barely even survive my first real confrontation off-world? I'm not even Human for God sakes. Not to mention the fact that I can't even walk properly now, and won't even be able to go through the stargate anymore." my vision blurred as tears filled my eyes.

Daniel let go of my foot, and took a hold of either side of my face, forcing me to look him in the eye. Once he knew I was paying attention, he spoke. "I should smack you right now for even thinking that." he told me. "You're better than that. You have hit a bump in the road, but you are going to run through it. I know it hurts and I know that what happened sucks and that you didn't deserve it. But it did happen, Nick. It happened and the damage is done—and the only thing that you can do now is live with it and over come it."

I stared at him, my hands going up and tugging the ear flaps from my hat tight over my ears. "I guess." I said slowly and reluctantly.

"I'm sure of it." Daniel said, prying my fingers from the hat setting them in my lap before he took it from my head. "Why do you try and hide it?" he asked, rubbing my cat ears—and to tell the truth, it felt so frickin' good; just like when I was a tiger and Jack petted me.

"I guess for other peoples benefit." I told him quietly, leaning into his touch. "It's been three years, and people still weren't really used to the fact that I could turn into a tiger. Before, they could just sorta ignore the fact because when I wasn't a tiger I was normal. Now I'm stuck in between, not really Human but not a tiger either."

Daniel sighed. "Some people are stupid." he told me and I could help but smirk. "They go through a wormhole for a living to different Planets and fight aliens—parasites that can take over your body—but one guy who could turn into a kitty cat and they're all freaked out."

I snorted now. "Yeah, what a bunch of idiots."

He smiled in return. "I know that having a limp sucks and that you can run as fast as you could before. But that doesn't mean you should be embarrassed, or think that anyone is better than you, because they're not. You just have something that they don't." he told me. "No one could have pulled through like you have, and we would have died on that Planet if it weren't for you."

I puffed my cheeks out in answer—still think that things could have gone better. But he was right about the fact that it had happened and there was nothing that I could do about it now.

"Now," he continued. "You need to walk around more, or this will keep happening. I may not be Janet, but I'm smart enough and you're smart enough to know that." he took my right foot in his hands again—the one that had been badly twisted and had needed surgery to repair the torn tendons, the tears that had cause me to have a permanent slight limp. He slowly rolled my ankle; I wanted to jerk it away, but resisted on the pure fact that it would probably hurt allot more than what he was doing.

Slowly my ankle stared to unlock and as he kneaded my foot, the cramp went away. And when the cramp went away, I couldn't really tell Daniel to stop—he was that good at this. I'll tell ya, if Daniel didn't make it with the Stargate program, he could have had a whole other career waiting for him. A purr erupted from my chest and caused me to star for a second before continuing—how could I be surprised about anything any more? My eyes fluttered and my toes spread.

"_One would wonder about the noise coming outta here_."

Daniel and I both looked at Daniel's office's door way to find Jack leaning against the frame with his arms crossed over his chest, and a smirk playing across his lips.

"You're just jealous because no one wants to touch your feet." Daniel returned with mock heat.

Jack opened his before snapping it back shut. "No comment." he said in a haunty manner.

Daniel smiled openly at him, not hiding the fact that Jack actually had no comment to that. I smirked, looking down at the floor to hide; it was rare that Jack actually had nothing to say. He glowered back at us, standing up from the door frame and sat on the couch in the corner of Daniel's office, his glower turning into pout as Daniel turned back to me. I held out my bare foot to him, wiggling my toes at him in invitation. Daniel looked at my foot for a second before he turned his head up to me a "_**really**_?" expression on his face. He lightly swatted my foot and stood, wiping his hands off on his pants as he went over and sat beside Jack.

I crossed my ankle over my knee, curling my toes and causing them to crack. Daniel's hands had been cool against my hot skin—apparently ever since my mid-Change, I now run a higher temperature. I rubbed my foot, lightly tracing the scar that now resided on my inner ankle. It was still sensitive and thick and bright pink, causing it to stand out. Quickly I slipped my sock back on, not liking the reminder that it gave me. The reminder of what had happened—along with all of the other scars—of the deaths that I had caused, the people that I had killed.

I mentally shook my head as I bent and slipped my boots back on, tying the laces tightly. I sat back up, my finger laced behind my head. Neither Daniel or I had questioned Jack sudden appearance, and nothing was said because nothing needed to be said. It was a compatible silence that of which was comfortable for the three of us. But Daniel and I both knew that sometimes, Jack just needed to get away from his busy schedule as the SGC's General.


	20. Epilogue

**NON REVERSABLE EFFECTS**

**EPILOGUE**

Slowly but surely I was getting used to the biggest change that I was sure had ever happened—or was going to happen in my life. In those forty-eight hours that me and SG-1 had been held captive on that Planet, had changed me and my life. I know that it sounded stupid, there had been a whole shit load that had changed the instant I had joined the SCG. Changing into a tiger, almost mauling a friend, my "vision" of being captured and raped by Joshua, and killing people unwillingly—and on top of that part, getting stuck in between my Transformation.

All of it was hard, but the being stuck in between part and killing that man and girl, seemed to top everything. I'm mean, when I had killed Joshua, I had actually felt relief that he would be able to come after me or hurt me anymore. But when I killed that Quatonian and that girl, I had a different feeling. I hadn't wanted to kill them, I had had no issue with them, and I was instead forced against my will to fight the. And even though every time I thought about it, I also felt relief that I was still alive. Because if I was dead, than I wouldn't have what I have right now, at this very moment. I wouldn't have my home—which was the SGC—and I wouldn't have a makeshift family—Jack, Daniel, Teal'c, Carter and now, as it turned out, Mitchell. I might not have seemed like much, but for me it was allot and it was all I had.

After what Daniel had said to me in his office, I slowly started to come out of the shell that had entrapped me after the mid-Transformation. What he had said was true: who gave a shit that the other SGC personnel were uncomfortable around me, that was their problem, not mine. What Colonel Mitchell had said too—when we were in my quarters and I was high—had helped too. So my ears were out, as well as my tail, because I was not going to ashamed of whom I was.

And as I walked down the halls of the SGC in a quick, barely controlled pace, I realized that now I was not a Quatonian and could no longer be compared to them. It felt as if a weight that I hadn't realized was on my shoulders was lifted. I felt lighter, and in that new light my pace had picked up. I needed to find Daniel, I needed to show him something that and it needed to be seen now.

I found Daniel office and charged inside, apparently going unnoticed by Daniel who was trying to find a book from one of his many shelves. A goofy grin was plastered on my face as I came up behind him, and spun him around.

*"Nick!" he gasped out in surprise, stumbling a little before he righted himself.

Before he could say another word, I yanked my tee up and over my head. Daniel looked at me like I was crazy, but it didn't matter as I turned my back to him.

"Ready?" I asked him, my voice hyper and my body vibrated with it.

"Sure. . .?" he said, confused out of his mind.

"Watch," I looked at him over my shoulder, my brow furrowing in concentration. My tail was still, until it suddenly twitched and flickered, it vibrated for a second before it lifted up and started to move leisurely from side to side.

Daniel looked down at it with wide eyes, before he looked back up at me; kinda speechless with a smile on his lips.

"Right?" I said. "I've been working on it for awhile now, and I finally got it."

My grin was so huge that I was sure that it was going to split my face, and though it seemed small, it felt like I just turned over a big obstacle. To say the least, I was very pleased with myself and Daniel seemed to be too.

_**Nickolas P. Summers.**_

_**C#- 00357-9648-0901**_

_**RANK- Lieutenant**_


End file.
